Kim Soo-rim's Stringent Conditions
The beginning of the story that Woo Seung-hyun PD had cautiously brought up to Woojin regarding the "Ahn Jong-hoon" casting traced back two months.
On the final day of the Thailand location shoot, Kim Soo-rim had stormed off the set, suppressing her rage upon hearing Ahn Jong-hoon's name during discussions. She returned straight to her lodging, fired up her laptop, and—
Drag, drag.
Her eyes glued to the screen, she irritably scrolled the mouse up and down repeatedly. For dozens of minutes now, she alternated between the scripts for Justice and Hanbando.
Kim Soo-rim already understood it intellectually. Considering the content of both works, and especially that Justice was a prequel drama, the best choice was to briefly feature the character Han Min-jae—the protagonist of Hanbando, originally played by Yoo Tae-seok before being replaced by Ahn Jong-hoon.
"Still, that bastard Ahn Jong-hoon is absolutely out of the question!"
If Yoo Tae-seok were an option, there'd be no dilemma from the start. Why was Ahn Jong-hoon the only remaining choice right now? Abandoning the original plan cleanly left a nagging unease. The perfect vision she had in mind was so clear that traces of regret lingered in her heart.
But even so. She just didn't want to reach out to that bastard Ahn Jong-hoon first, no matter what!
"Aigoo, damn it."
She slammed the innocent desk and clutched her head. That's when it happened.
Knock knock.
A quiet knock sounded.
"Teacher, it's me."
It was Seo Min-kyeong. When Kim Soo-rim opened the door, she placed the bags in her hands on the table.
"What's this?"
"Macarons. Nothing beats sweets when you're feeling down, right?"
"Pfft, as expected, Min-kyeong's got the best sense!"
Watching Kim Soo-rim's face brighten instantly, Seo Min-kyeong smiled. Confirming her mentor's mood had softened considerably, she glanced at the laptop screen and slowly began to speak.
"Still, the shoot's all wrapped up, and it's the last night in Thailand. Why not take a break? Teacher's passion, checking the script right up to the end! Wow."
"What's with the sudden flattery? Writers live glued to their words—it's not like it's a day or two."
Kim Soo-rim chuckled warmly at her disciple's playful banter.
"You said absolutely not, but you were actually agonizing over it, weren't you?"
"Over what?"
"Ahn Jong-hoon."
Her disciple was sharp and bold, as always. They knew each other too well to hide anything, and even if she tried, it wouldn't work. After a brief pause, lost in thought, Kim Soo-rim nodded.
"What on earth is troubling my beloved teacher's head? Tell me everything today!"
"Usually, isn't it the teacher advising the disciple? Feels like the roles are reversed—must be my imagination?"
"Pfft, advice between fellow pros doesn't care about teacher-disciple~"
"H-hey? Seo Min-kyeong!"
"Eek!"
Their playful exchange lightened the mood. A moment later,
"Alright, honestly…"
With macarons and warm tea between them, they delved into discussions about Justice.
"I admit we need one of them—Yoo Tae-seok or Ahn Jong-hoon. But separately, I just hate that the only option left is the latter."
"I was furious too when I heard that punk Ahn Jong-hoon caused a scene at the wrap party."
Seo Min-kyeong clenched her fist. Kim Soo-rim bit into a macaron and lifted her teacup.
"I don't know. Outsiders might say a powerful writer was bullying a helpless actor, but even then and now, I truly believe he crossed the line."
At the Hanbando wrap party, Ahn Jong-hoon—somewhat drunk—had finally exploded:
She remembered it vividly.
Calling the script "shit." That single remark had snapped Kim Soo-rim's last thread of rationality amid the party festivities.
"Frankly, it flopped considering the initial buzz and my name value. But the work itself? It wasn't a failure at all."
"That's true."
"No one's fault. Who could've predicted Yoo Tae-seok ending up in the hospital or the PD getting swapped after beating an extra?"
Kim Soo-rim's voice was low as she gazed out the window. It was their first serious talk about Hanbando. Perhaps because it was so candid—her heart felt lighter by the moment.
"Ahn Jong-hoon must've had it tough too. Thrown in with no prep time, working his ass off, but getting flak everywhere for the acting without understanding the situation. And openly compared to Woojin, no less."
Seo Min-kyeong nodded at Kim Soo-rim's words.
"Imagine if you or I subbed into an airing drama as the writer and the same shit happened... and then got compared to the original writer's skill on top?"
"Oh god, don't even go there."
"Right? He'd probably blow up the same way."
"Yeah, I get it. That's why I understood Ahn Jong-hoon. Even if I didn't like him, I never said a word on set. Not once, Min-kyeong."
Kim Soo-rim took a sip of tea and continued.
"I get there were unavoidable circumstances! But even so, that wasn't the place for it—gathered with folks who'd suffered together to unwind. 'Shit script'? Wonder what face he'd make if I called his acting shit?"
"To a writer, that's personal attack on par with pad-lip."
"Exactly. We should've parted smiling, and yet."
Seo Min-kyeong adjusted her glasses and nodded. From all Kim Soo-rim had shared, one unchangeable fact stood out to her: no one was at fault!
Wasn't that enough? Sure, there'd been that red-faced finale at the wrap party, but... working together means ups and downs like this.
Seo Min-kyeong clapped her hands sharply.
"Yoo Tae-seok's out due to his China schedule, so forget him and go with Ahn Jong-hoon, Teacher."
Her signature bold style kicked in.
"Like you just said, unavoidable circumstances. Even if that little fucker Ahn Jong-hoon was rude as hell, doesn't he deserve one more fair shot?"
"Fair shot?"
"Plenty of prep time this round. Back in Korea soon for episode 9, tons of time till 17."
"True."
"You're not one to cut ties decisively when it's iffy or nagging. If it's bothering you, why not clear the air once and for all?"
It made sense. In the past, Kim Soo-rim had ruthlessly cut actor Lee Hak-tae for indefinite shoot refusal, costing the production dearly. But Ahn Jong-hoon had a somewhat understandable backstory—different case.
If even Seo Min-kyeong said so, and it ultimately benefited the work she was writing...
Yeah, doing Justice means compromising once or twice isn't new.
First time's the hardest; second or third ain't shit.
"Alright, Min-kyeong. You make a good case—everything you said checks out."
"Got it. We'll hash out the rest with the PD back in Korea."
"But!"
Her heart softened a bit. Still, Kim Soo-rim raised a finger and declared sharply.
Seo Min-kyeong's attention focused. A brief silence fell.
Then—
Tap tap.
Ignoring her disciple's tilted head, Kim Soo-rim typed furiously on the laptop.
"Teacher?"
"Hold on, almost done."
What, what is it? Writers speak through words! Something like that?
Moments later,
"Done! Take a look."
"What is it?"
Seo Min-kyeong scanned the text filling the screen with a puzzled expression.
"These are my conditions. What do you think?"
"……."
After silently reading her mentor's words, Seo Min-kyeong spoke.
"Sounds like 'don't do it' to me."
"He insulted me with 'shit script,' so if I'm reaching out first, he can at least concede this much, right?"
"Fair, but this goes beyond concession…."
"If the temple's no good, the monk leaves~"
Kim Soo-rim stood with a relieved expression. Stepping to the window, she gazed outside.
"They say you can't fix a dog's habits. Heard he caused a scene on the Chosun Sunshine set too—no one's calling him anymore?"
"Rumor is he fought with Director Im Eun-bong, trash-talking her."
"Guy's lost it. Director Im's got decades under her belt."
"And for a cameo, no prep, NG'd dozens of times... Who'd hire him?"
"Exactly, we're taking that risk. I've learned the virtue of compromise lately, but we're not the desperate ones. Min-kyeong."
Kim Soo-rim smiled faintly as she concluded.
"If he won't accept my terms, tell him no. I don't want an actor who says no anyway."
* * *
Vroom vroom!
"This bitch has a goddamn talent overflowing for writing shit scripts?"
In the SJ Entertainment CEO's office. Ahn Jong-hoon's face was already flushed purple with rage, unable to calm down. He shredded the paper in his hand.
It listed Kim Soo-rim's conditions for approving his casting.
1. Mutual respect and courtesy on set.
2. Past incidents remain in the past. (No displays on set—strictly forbidden!)
3. Formal apology for remarks infringing on the writer's dignity.
4. As a gesture of apology, participate without fail starting from episode 10 shoot schedule.
5. (Continuing from 4) In the participation role, assist actor Baek Woojin.
Up to 3 was bearable, if annoying. But 4 and 5 were beyond imagination.
They applied to scenes where Lee Jung-hyuk and Yoon Tae-oh shared frames: to ease actor gaze/movement and CG editing, act as "human chroma key."
In other words, stand in Yoon Tae-oh's position when Woojin played Lee Jung-hyuk, and vice versa.
Boiled down: "Be Baek Woojin's fucking stand-in properly!"
For Ahn Jong-hoon, it wasn't just scraping his pride—it was ripping it out.
"Jong-hoon, calm down first…."
"Shut up! Where's Dad? Why isn't he here!"
"The CEO's on his way. Said he's nearby."
"Tell him to hurry, hurry!"
Hong Seong-o sighed deeply behind the fuming Ahn Jong-hoon.
How long did he have to endure this hysteria...? He tried bearing it for his dongsaeng he'd known since way before debut, and SJ was his first job in the industry—he'd held on with affection. But mentally and physically, he was at his limit.
Bang!
"What the hell's going on?!"
A pot-bellied middle-aged man burst in, voice urgent. Ahn Seung-jun.
He too huffed roughly as he sat down.