The Words That Will Save Him

After wrapping up the early morning meeting at writer Kim Soolim's office, Woojin returned home. He passed through the living room, thick with the heavy air of late night, and headed straight for the bathroom. After a quick shower, he fired up his laptop. From his inbox, he downloaded the script file for episode 20, which Kim Soolim and Seo Min-kyeong had revised in real-time during the meeting. He scrolled down with the mouse, rereading the final changes.

"That's great!"

As he read, Kim Soolim's excited shout echoed in his mind again.

- Thump.

His heart raced each time. "It feels like the perfect direction, just like Woojin suggested. Let's go with this!"

Working on the script alongside the nation's top drama writer was a rare thrill in itself. And contrary to his worries that it might overstep boundaries,

"How about we write it right now, ma'am?"

"Oh? Sounds good, Min-kyeong!"

"Everyone, no schedules today, right? You're not leaving this room until we're done! Hehe."

"Take your time. We've got all day, haha!"

Thankfully, the writers and everyone else responded with overwhelming positivity.

With all eyes on Woojin, the revisions proceeded. The result?

"First draft done!"

"One, two, three, four... I'll print copies for everyone. Give it a read, then we'll discuss!"

Since the overall structure was already set and they only needed to tweak the latter half's ending, finishing the revision was a breeze for Kim Soolim and Seo Min-kyeong. Woojin's input made episode 20's plot flow seamlessly clean. Why? Because the previous version had overemphasized "Lee Jin-tae's revenge," sidelining "Lee Jung-hyuk's revenge" in comparison. The ending felt off because Son Min-seok suddenly occupied the spot where Lee Jung-hyuk should have been—disrupting the power balance shattered between Lee Jin-tae and Lee Jung-hyuk.

At a glance, the targets of their revenge seemed identical. They'd answered the nation's call, carried out orders, and returned—only to lose comrades to friendly fire, nearly dying themselves. Anyone who'd read the Justice script would nod at the vengeance blooming in Lee Jin-tae's heart. It was plain as day on the surface.

But Lee Jung-hyuk? Sure, his biological father had sunk into the cold sea. Yet he could have lived a normal life with his mother and twin brother Yoon Tae-oh. Then the 1983 incident forced Lee Jin-tae to flee abroad with infant Lee Jung-hyuk. So could one truly pin the ruin of Lee Jung-hyuk's life solely on Lee Jin-tae?

In other words, just as Lee Jin-tae's vengeful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fury targeted not just the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠villains of 1983 but the state itself, Lee Jung-hyuk's rage extended beyond the man who tore him from his family to the state that made such a choice inevitable.

From episode 10 onward, as Lee Jung-hyuk began trying to stop Lee Jin-tae, his vendetta against South Korea naturally softened compared to his father's. But the core target—the Republic of Korea government—remained unchanged. Their revenge simply diverged in philosophy: "an eye for an eye" versus "turn calamity into fortune through measured forgiveness."

A subtle nuance, thin as paper and easy to miss, had been...

In the revised version incorporating Woojin's ideas, Lee Jung-hyuk's presence shone clearly, as summarized above. It erased the jarring disconnect that had threatened to crumble 19 episodes of buildup.

"We still have two unfinished final sequences. The scene where Lee Jung-hyuk blocks the gun aimed at the President and tries to persuade him... We need those lines first to decide Lee Jin-tae's fate."

Lee Jin-tae's death, once set in stone, now hinged on Jung-hyuk's persuasion. At least the promise to virtual-world Jung-hyuk was kept. Now, the question was what words to use...

"Why don't you write this part yourself, Woojin?"

"Me?! M-Me?"

"Since it's your vision, I think it'd be best if you wrote what Lee Jung-hyuk truly wants to say."

"Ma'am... you're serious?!"

Everyone gasped at Kim Soolim's words—especially Seo Min-kyeong. The perfectionist who meticulously reviewed assistants' work and rewrote everything herself was handing off her script to someone else for the first time.

Unlike the reactions around her, Kim Soolim nodded with quiet confidence.

"Throughout the meeting, I felt like you were desperately trying to save Lee Jin-tae."

She continued, "You worried about offending me or Min-kyeong, yet you couldn't hide it... After watching you live as Lee Jung-hyuk these past five months, I got curious."

Her sharp gaze made him swallow dryly.

"Give it your best shot. Move Lee Jin-tae's heart."

She ended with a piercing line.

"And mine too."

- Scroll.

The mouse stopped at the unfinished end of the revision.

- Scratch scratch scratch.

Woojin opened the Diary and began jotting down the meeting's outcome, hoping it reached Lee Jung-hyuk.

"That button..."

He murmured softly.

"I'm glad you can press it now."

The pen nib didn't stop for a while.

Drama scripts typically gauge one scene at about a minute, two scenes per A4 page—not absolute, but enough to estimate total runtime post-editing.

One week left in production, just 18 scenes from 26 to 43. Seemed leisurely at 2-3 per day, but the schedule was packed tight. Heavy SFX demands and doubled extras meant endless details. Even the action team had pulled all-nighters over the weekend for choreography.

Overall, Woojin's input had elevated the drama's quality, but he felt guilty for making the staff work harder.

"Aigoo, my actor! You're too pure for this world. Nothing for you to be sorry about!"

On the way to set, Jun-an— who could read Woojin like a book nowadays—spoke up.

"Hyung, don't we need to lay out a mat or something?"

"You think so too? I'm seriously considering it."

"Lucky me, having a manager as great as you."

"Aigoo, is this the famous preemptive kowtow? Coming from you, Woojin, it leaves me flustered!"

"For real. I think about it a lot lately."

"What?"

"Like, I hope Baek Woo-hee meets a guy as good as you... something like that?"

"Wha— whoa!"

Jun-an suddenly cheered, clapping a hand over his mouth. Woojin jumped.

"W-What's wrong?!"

"N-Nothing... just heard something amazing. Replay that, Woojin-ah?"

"Pfft!"

Jun-an's endless cheer lit up the car, drawing a smile to Woojin's lips.

"Just saying~ Mom and I would totally approve if you dated Woo-hee. But... nah, no way."

"Aw, why not!"

"No way you sinned in a past life! You're too good for Woo-hee!"

"Judge after I introduce you?"

"Nope, no. Song Jun-an's too much for Baek Woo-hee!"

They bantered through countless drives, but Woo-hee talk was new. Anyway... thanks, Woo-hee. Made the set trip fun.

"Hello!"

At the set, he greeted the staff warmly. Even after last week, they beamed like it'd been ages. Few days left breathing this air. Bittersweet.

"Here, son!"

"Yeah, Dad. Rest well?"

Ten minutes later, Lee Kang-sik arrived, waving cheerily. Woojin handed over the coffee bought en route.

"Anyway, Dad... you sure you don't wanna peek at the end?"

"Curious as hell, but nope."

Lee Kang-sik waved it off. Only Woojin's script had those lines—the blank spots in everyone else's: Lee Jung-hyuk persuading Lee Jin-tae at gunpoint. Consensus was to see it on camera that day. Only PD Woo Seung-hyun, the DP, and scripter—who needed it for editing—knew.

"Eaten yet?"

"Not yet. Straight to the meal truck?"

"Sounds good! Wonder what's on the menu~"

Woojin and Lee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kang-sik headed off.

The final week of Justice's production dawned with a fiercely burning morning sun.