One Actor, Two Roles
Kim Soolim, the writer who had never once lacked confidence in her own writing, was now utterly lost in the text she herself had created. Perhaps it was the aftermath of her previous work, which had fallen far short of her own standards. The brimming self-assurance she always exuded was gone, replaced by constant hesitation amid the words she had birthed.
Lacking certainty, she must have craved some kind of insurance... That explained scheduling a full-script reading meeting—something unprecedented in her career. Her subconscious must have known she wasn't right.
To such a Kim Soolim, the advice to "do it the original way..." proved powerful. As the old saying goes, a single word can repay a debt of a thousand nyang. Words hold tremendous power. The sincere counsel from her disciple and Woojin's utterly unexpected question had jolted her back to life.
Yes, there was no need to agonize over it.
"You're right, Woojin-ssi. Twins."
In that moment, she felt she had reclaimed something lost. A single sentence, so naturally overlooked during revisions that no one would notice if left as is. Not only had he spotted it, but he had pinpointed a setting from the original draft that scarcely anyone had seen?
If an actor possesses analysis skills this sharp...
She was struck with certainty that he could bring to life the visions she thought impossible to realize. Suddenly, she recalled Witch School, a work Park Min-jae had directed during his active PD days. The script was brilliant, but everyone rejected it due to impossible CG demands... except Park Min-jae PD, who insisted it was feasible. They had proven it together.
Kim Soolim now sensed that same energy in Woojin, over the phone line, that she had felt from him back then.
"Yoon Tae-o. Lee Jung-hyuk's twin brother."
- As expected... He'll appear in the unrevealed finale, right?
"No, not that... Hmm..."
She paused briefly. Seo Min-kyeong listened quietly, a smile playing on her lips, as the conversation between Woojin and Kim Soolim unfolded.
"Woojin-ssi."
- Yes, Writer-nim.
"I'm sending you a script via email now. Could you quickly read episodes 1 and 2? Don't hang up."
- Of course. Send it over, and I'll read right away.
Kim Soolim emailed Woojin the original draft file for Justice.
- Click. The sound of clicking and scrolling followed.
A moment later.
- Writer-nim, sorry to keep you waiting.
"No, it's fine. What do you think?"
- A new character has been added. I haven't finished yet, but this setup makes the whole thing even more intriguing.
Over the phone, Woojin's voice mingled with the sound of scrolling. He was still reading the script.
The opinion from Woojin—one of the most crucial people involved—matched Min-kyeong's...
- It's only been half a day since the script reading, and you've already added this?!
As Woojin's voice brimmed with admiration, Kim Soolim exhaled shortly and spoke.
"One actor, two roles. Can you do it?"
- Pardon?
"Yoon Tae-o is your character, Woojin-ssi. What you're reading now is the Justice original draft."
- ......?!
She conveyed her resolve to Woojin honestly: to proceed as originally planned, and as she truly desired. Of course, with his "consent."
Minor dialogue tweaks or scene adjustments were one thing, but undisclosed changes at the casting stage—or major alterations affecting the actor—couldn't be decided unilaterally. Not even by Kim Soolim herself.
She added, "Team Leader Kim Tae-gon told me you took on a bold challenge in your recent film. It's a different case, but we're adding the original setting to this production for filming."
- ......
"In this work of mine, could we see your magic once more, Woojin-ssi?"
Kim Soolim's voice was low and earnest. Unlike usual, her tone was exceedingly polite. It signified that the decisive hand in this major matter lay with Woojin.
At that moment, Woojin was dumbfounded by the sudden proposal. Just as his question had momentarily stunned the writer, her offer pierced him unexpectedly.
Continuing the call while reading the script... Portraying both Lee Jung-hyuk and Yoon Tae-o simultaneously... Acting with every timing meticulously calculated. It demanded self-aware performance from an actor's perspective.
Yet...
- Thump, thump.
Why, instead of bewilderment or difficulty, did excitement and joy surge within him?
It was the first emotion he'd felt when Ra Ho-chan proposed Burnt and Hidden Marks.
Challenge.
The same feeling now filled his heart.
I want to do it.
At the same time, the vivid pain of Lee Jin-tae from the previous virtual world flashed in his mind. He had to stop Lee Jin-tae's vengeance as Lee Jung-hyuk, but experiencing his past firsthand erased any opposition. That was how overpowering Lee Jin-tae's emotions were.
Facing such emotions, it made sense for Woojin to add the weight of another fate-twisted soul alongside Lee Jung-hyuk, whose ordinary life crumbled under Lee Jin-tae. Yoon Tae-o, and his lost 29 years—Woojin yearned to embody them as an actor.
"If the script change is feasible as you say, I'll do it."
Woojin declared firmly.
- Thank you. Truly.
Kim Soolim's voice trembled as she added,
- I'll talk to Woo PD and call you back.
"Understood."
The call ended.
Woojin immediately printed the script, sat on the sofa, and dove into the Justice original draft. Visions unfolded in his mind: that night when Lee Jung-hyuk could have been Yoon Tae-o, and vice versa, without anyone the wiser. The lives of children whose fates had swapped.
"Yoon Tae-o, Republic of Korea prosecutor..."
He immersed himself in it.
The remaining full-script meeting was canceled. The script had changed, and what was once called the "original draft" became the "official version." With Yoon Tae-o surfacing, pre-production accelerated accordingly.
Alongside this, the jokingly dubbed "tvKR Avengers" lineup was complete.
"Is this really possible?"
"Of course. Our drama has ample budget—no burden at all!"
Director Woo PD naturally agreed, and "Watching my much-heard junior's acting will be even more fun. Fighting just Lee Jin-tae and Lee Jung-hyuk one-on-one is less intriguing than battling both, for me."
Lead actor Lee Kang-sik accepted, and "My hands were itching anyway—perfect timing!"
Seo Min-kyeong, who had wrapped Wanted and her next project a year later before entering rest, joined as sturdy support. She couldn't bear the itch when trying to relax... Oh, and she wanted to repay her master—who recommended her synopsis, birthing Wanted and forging ties with tvKR Drama Department—for her benevolence.
Thus, she became part of the Justice crew as Kim Soolim's assistant writer, for the first time in ages.
Come to think of it, Kim Ye-chan hyung's Seo Jun-mo in Wanted was also a prosecutor. Seo Min-kyeong's research prowess was already impeccable, so she'd elevate Yoon Tae-o far beyond now. Moreover, the gap between experience and inexperience was undeniable. Having already captured Woojin's acting in writing, she was Kim Soolim's greatest asset and one who understood Justice best.
A veteran writer assisting another was unheard of, but their mentor-disciple bond created the exception. Reportedly, Seo Min-kyeong opposed Kim Soolim's push for co-authorship. Anyway...
With tvKR Drama Chief Park Min-jae added, it felt like Wanted's second coming.
"Woojin-ah, action school?"
"No, Writer-nim's studio today. Action school tomorrow, hyung!"
"Right, yeah. My head... Wait, day after tomorrow?"
"Broadcast station!"
"Ah, okay. Let's roll!"
Woojin and Jun-an's daily life grew busier. Action school and practice room were joined by two more spots.
First, courtesy of Chief Park, tvKR Drama's Seminar Room 2 was allocated for the Justice cast. Even without the full ensemble, Woojin and Lee Kang-sik led ad-hoc readings with available actors.
The other was Kim Soolim's studio. There, Kim Writer, Seo Writer, Woo PD, Woojin, and Lee Kang-sik endlessly exchanged script opinions. All five were rigorously professional, sharing freely regardless of background—each bearing heavy responsibility as if it were "my creation."
In the process,
"I think we should save all the targets as much as possible."
"Nah, that's viewing only from Lee Jung-hyuk and Yoon Tae-o's perspective. We need Lee Jin-tae's side too."
"No. Killing even one undermines Lee Jin-tae's justification too easily."
"Not true! He should punish the first couple with blood. The incidents in episodes 1-2 alone will make viewers empathize with him killing one or two."
"Ah~ Sunbaenim!"
"Woojin-aaah!"
29 years later, at exactly age 30. Lee Jung-hyuk sets foot in Korea for the first time and moves per Lee Jin-tae's orders.
The "execution targets" are the four high officials who planned and executed Operation Just Retribution (codename: Justice), sending 31 North Korean operatives—including Lee Jin-tae—north 29 years prior. Lee Jin-tae dubbed them the "Four Great Evils," instilling hatred in Lee Jung-hyuk constantly.
But even Lee Jin-tae knows only that there are four; their identities elude him. Lee Jung-hyuk uncovers them one by one in his stead, completing the vengeance.
Up to here, father and son's wills align—but their methods differ. Lee Jung-hyuk seeks constitutional justice for the "Four Great Evils"; Lee Jin-tae wants their lives.
Woojin and Lee Kang-sik clashed repeatedly here. Fortunately, Lee Kang-sik wasn't authoritarian, and Woojin—except as "actor to actor"—always respectfully followed his senior. Their explosive passion was forging an ensemble.
But,
"Min-kyeong-ah, Woo PD..."
"Yes?"
"No matter how I look, this doesn't feel like my work anymore... Am I imagining it?!"
"It's not just imagination..."
Whenever Woojin and Lee Kang-sik's fierce debate(?) raged, the three whispered among themselves, watching from the side.
"What will you do?"
"Not sure. Both actors make valid points."
"It's tricky."
"We need to decide soon..."
[Spare all Four Great Evils.]
[Conversely, kill them all.]
[Or, spare some, kill some.]
The authority rested solely with Kim Writer. The moment of decision loomed ever closer.