The Son's Desperate Stand
Suddenly, Lee Jung-hyuk stepping in front of the gun that was aimed at Son Min-seok was something Lee Jin-tae had never anticipated.
But that alone couldn't shake his resolve to achieve the end of his "revenge" by killing Son Min-seok. Of course, he'd long since steeled himself for the fact that his own death would be included in that end.
Yet at Lee Jung-hyuk's words, infused with raw sincerity—"I want to live. So, Father..."—Lee Jin-tae's emotions began to waver fiercely for the first time.
"Please... let me live."
"W-what did you say?"
"Let me live, Father. This isn't about the president. It's about me..."
The plea for life wasn't for the "president," but for Lee Jung-hyuk himself. It completely flipped the dynamics of the situation.
Huh?
What's this? The lines are different?
Woojin, Lee Kang-sik, and Jeong Jae-min. In the tense atmosphere where everyone on set held their breath watching the three actors' performance, the two who had received Woojin's scripted lines in advance—PD Woo Seung-hyun and the script supervisor—locked eyes and tilted their heads.
The script supervisor soon whispered, "Director, do we keep going like this?"
"Yeah, for now."
"Got it."
"Write it down accurately. Don't miss a single word."
In this scene, only Woojin, the director, and themselves knew Woojin's lines beforehand, so it didn't matter if they changed. The premise of the scene was an "ad-lib" situation from the start.
Lee Kang-sik had insisted on entering the scene without knowing Lee Jung-hyuk's lines to capture the raw emotion of hearing them for the first time. But for an actor as meticulous and prepared as he was to deliver lines completely different from what he'd been given, there had to be a good reason.
Intrigued, PD Woo turned back to the monitor with a face full of curiosity.
"......"
Lee Jin-tae dropped his gaze momentarily, his face etched with confusion. Then—
Click!
Lee Jung-hyuk drew a gun from his coat and aimed it.
At that action, Lee Jin-tae's wildly shaking pupils snapped back into focus.
"What do you think it's like for a son to point a gun at the father who once took a bullet to the heart to save him?"
Lee Jung-hyuk's hand and voice trembled visibly as he gripped the gun.
"I hoped—just once—that you'd think of me more than revenge. That you'd stop, just for me... I prayed for it, over and over, with all my heart!"
Lee Jung-hyuk's eyes reddened, brimming with tears on the verge of cascading like a waterfall. But no tears fell.
"Whoa!"
Writer Kim Soo-rim let out a short exclamation, her face contorting in awe. Seo Min-kyeong, seeing it, was startled—it wasn't every day her mentor allowed someone else to alter her creation.
Normally, she'd wear a "let's see what you've got" expression. But here she was, looking utterly satisfied. The emotion on Kim Soo-rim's face went beyond thrill—it was pure catharsis.
And it wasn't just the writers. Woojin's restrained acting amplified Lee Jung-hyuk's sorrow to its peak. In this extreme situation, he couldn't cry freely, forcing down his emotions with every word. The unshed tears didn't just seem sad—they pierced straight to the heart of grief.
The speaker fought desperately not to be sad, yet everyone watching felt the sorrow deeply. The actor restrained the flowing emotions, but ironically, the audience and viewers fully absorbed the character's outpouring. Woojin in the camera was always delivering the "real" acting he strived for—not pretense, but truth.
Woojin, Lee Kang-sik, Jeong Jae-min. Maybe that's why. Though the directing team had intentionally made Jeong Jae-min's lines slightly off-tone from the two juniors to create dissonance, at some point, the awkwardness vanished completely.
The energy from the three actors filled the screen. In that instant—
Click, clack!
Lee Jung-hyuk suddenly pressed the gun to his own head.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Lee Jin-tae and Son Min-seok weren't the only ones panicking. From not far away, several red laser dots peering through windows at Lee Jin-tae began to waver, losing their target at Lee Jung-hyuk's abrupt move.
Facing Lee Jin-tae's shaken expression, Lee Jung-hyuk spoke again.
"If it was all just my foolish dream, then I'll end it myself—with my own hands."
His will to stop his father was as fierce as Lee Jin-tae's thirst for revenge against Son Min-seok. And rightly so—this was Lee Jung-hyuk's final resort. If no persuasion worked, only one option remained: stake his own life and confront directly.
With his last card played, Lee Jung-hyuk's desperation intensified. Woojin recalled the real Lee Jung-hyuk's feelings as he typed those messages in the blue window visible only to him beside Lee Kang-sik's face... Waves of earnest conviction surged from Woojin uncontrollably.
"Urgh."
Lee Jin-tae bit his lip in agony. He'd always vowed never to hesitate before revenge as long as he lived, no matter the hardship. Yet this situation—unprecedented in 30 years—was more disorienting than he could imagine.
A dilemma where he could neither shoot nor hold back. What the hell was he supposed to do...?
That was when it happened.
"I don't know your name, but thank you."
Suddenly, Son Min-seok placed his hands on Lee Jung-hyuk's shoulders from behind.
"......?!"
"And... I'm sorry."
He shoved Lee Jung-hyuk aside. The "wall" of Lee Jung-hyuk between Lee Jin-tae and Son Min-seok was removed. Naturally, Lee Jin-tae's gun now pointed squarely at Son Min-seok's heart again.
As Lee Jung-hyuk stumbled back—
"Jin-tae, shoot. Judge the karma I've ignored all these years, making excuses that I had no choice. Do it with your own hand."
Son Min-seok spoke in a low voice.
"It's too late now, what's the point... But I'm truly sorry. To you, and to the precious lives lost because of my one moment's choice. From the heart. Really, I'm sorry."
His eyes slowly closed.
"With my wretched life ended, please—stop here. Then..."
Son Min-seok finished. The wandering red dots had fixed on Lee Jin-tae's chest and head.
"Raaarghhh!"
Lee Jin-tae roared. Something fell from his bloodshot eyes.
Tears he'd held back for 30 years—
Plop.
The moment they hit the ground.
"N-nooo!!!!!"
"Die!!!!!"
"......"
"Father!!!!!"
Lee Jin-tae's rage exploded. Lee Jung-hyuk scrambled up, reaching out desperately. Son Min-seok stood with eyes closed, resigned. And somewhere, an anonymous sniper swallowing dryly, gun trained on Lee Jin-tae.
Their images cut rapidly, Lee Jung-hyuk and Lee Jin-tae's cries echoing like narration—
Bang!
One gunshot reverberated. The sound that capped the long night at the Blue House—and the first and last shot fired.
The screen faded to black...
Fade Out.
As the gunshot's echo faded, the faint window beside Lee Kang-sik's face vanished too.
"Cut!"
"Okay!"
"......"
The three actors stood frozen, calmly gathering their lingering emotions.
Soon—
"Hyung, what'd you think?!"
"Review! We need your review now!"
PD Woo, Kim Soo-rim, and Seo Min-kyeong rushed from the monitor room to Lee Kang-sik, faces flushed with excitement.
"Whew, Woojin, you worked hard."
"No, you seniors did all the heavy lifting."
Lee Kang-sik, who always called Woojin "son," spoke his name softly for the first time in a while. A strange sense of relief flowed from the hand patting Woojin's shoulder.
"Hyung, what about Woojin-ssi’s lines?"
Seo Min-kyeong pressed Lee Kang-sik. Even from the screen, the emotions from the two were immense; facing them head-on, his take was invaluable. They needed to finalize the ending based on it.
"Not sure exactly..."
Lee Kang-sik spoke slowly, dazed.
"How do I put this?"
All eyes—writers and director—fixed on him.
"One thing's clear. If I were Lee Jin-tae..."
"Yes, yes!"
Gulp.
Kim Soo-rim and Seo Min-kyeong's eyes sparkled eagerly.
"...I don't think I could've pulled the trigger. What about you, hyung?"
Lee Kang-sik asked Jeong Jae-min.
"Same as you, Kang-sik. Anyone seeing Woojin's eyes in that moment would've thought the same."
Jeong Jae-min nodded. The actors who'd faced it directly agreed.
Woojin added that if he'd been Lee Jin-tae, he couldn't have shot either.
Kim Soo-rim and Seo Min-kyeong snapped their fingers in unison, cheering.
"Perfect! I can see the ending now!"
"Teacher, great minds, right?!"
Clenching their fists like they'd received divine inspiration—as if saying, 'Great job, we'll handle the wrap-up!'
Woojin smiled back.
'Phew, relief.'
With everyone's full understanding, the ending would go as Lee Jung-hyuk wanted—best possible, with Lee Jin-tae surviving. It brought a smile of relief.
Vrrr.
The diary in Woojin's pocket emitted a faint light once more. As if echoing Lee Jung-hyuk's response.
A week flew by in the blink of an eye. After a five-month production marathon—over a year total, counting the delay—the grand finale of Justice approached. For Woojin, it was his first overseas shoot, working with Korea's top writers and actors, reuniting with debut connections—an unforgettable trove of memories.
The final scene's location: a grassland in Seosan. The makeshift set was surrounded by massive chroma key screens. In the drama, it was a summer meadow, to be CG'd in post.
"Action!"
PD Woo's cue dropped. In the close full-shot A-cam, and B-cam/C-cam bust shots of the two—
"The breeze feels nice. Really good."
"Me too. Even better with you here, Father."
Lee Jin-tae sat comfortably in the wheelchair, Lee Jung-hyuk standing behind, gripping the handles. Father and son atop the meadow hill, gazing down with happy smiles—captured vividly.
Whoosh.
Warm sunlight, gentle wind. Enhancing the blissful father-son vibe.
"Father, shall we head that way?"
"Yeah, let's."
"Here we go. Hold on tight!"
"Hahaha!"
B-cam and C-cam naturally pulled out. In A-cam's close full-shot, the pair's backs receded into the frame.
As the camera pulled back further, the vast, beautiful meadow filled the screen.
Moments later—
"Cut, okay!"
"Great work, that's a wrap!!!"
"Wooo!"
The curtain call unfolded. Lee Jung-hyuk's wish fulfilled exactly as envisioned.