Milky-White Do Hyun-woo
Gongbeomche was fundamentally Do Hyun-woo's project, but Chae Seo-hee was occasionally dispatched as an assistant CE.
It happened when Do Hyun-woo had personal schedules or there was separate work to handle on set.
To Chae Seo-hee, the Gongbeomche filming site was a truly fascinating place.
CEs were generally an unwelcome presence to the production crew.
Because they represented OTT platforms that prioritized capital logic, they often clashed with the creative sensibilities of the makers.
Especially when shooting the Gyeongseong Bakery scene...
"Ugh, Gyeongseong... Wh-where's Gyeongseong?"
Chae Seo-hee's algorithm glitched momentarily as she chose amnesia to protect her sense of self, but that didn't change the fact that the Gongbeomche set was amazing.
For starters, all the staff liked the CE.
"Director! Have you eaten?"
"Director, aren't you going to ask for a company bonus if this does well?"
"Want me to set you up on a blind date?"
Over 70% were from external studios, not SSK, so they had no need to suck up, yet they always struck up conversations.
It wasn't just the staff.
"Uh, Do's aesthetic sense."
"I have no interest in that art director."
"Why not? Come under me, and I'll work you like a dog."
"That's why I won't."
"Aw, too bad. Oh, right. Did you see the middle school insert C Team shot yesterday?"
"Yeah."
"The school felt kinda drab, didn't it? Great lived-in feel, but the wall colors are off... We need to differentiate from the high school insert."
"I was thinking the same. How about changing the uniform colors?"
"Pastel tones?"
"Oh, exactly. How'd you know?"
"You punk, thought I wouldn't?"
From director Jung Hee-soo to art director Jo Tae-seok and sound director Oh Jun-jae.
They all consulted Do Hyun-woo without hesitation and sought his opinions.
Normally, if a CE tried to offer input, everyone turned as hostile as Heungseon Daewongun facing a border stone monument.
The Gyeongseong Bakery was...
"Ugh. B-Bakery what?"
But the real highlight was the actors.
"Do CE, wanna try delivering this line a bit faster?"
"Why?"
"It's a urgent situation, but the syllables in the words feel too drawn out."
"Hm... Makes sense. Let's tweak the dialogue together. I'll pass it to the director."
Discussions on acting direction, of course.
"I'm not quite nailing the emotion here. Mind reading opposite for a sec?"
Even matching line reads.
"How would you express this, Do CE?"
And sometimes, even coaching performances.
The crowning irony? Do Hyun-woo was oblivious to how much everyone liked him.
"They're all just nice people, right? No way it's only for me."
What, the Do Hyun-woo World?
That old meme, you know?
Where everyone loves you, but you're oblivious to it.
Not a clueless concept, is it?
Of course, it was a joke. Chae Seo-hee had been awestruck by Do Hyun-woo's talents multiple times.
"Cut! Okay!"
"Right into the next!"
The set ran like clockwork.
The actors' fervent performances were on another level, not easily seen elsewhere.
Like scenes that felt labored in typical dramas flowed as naturally as breathing.
And at the center was Do Hyun-woo.
SSK still treated Gongbeomche like a headache contest entry...
This is gonna be huge.
Watching the shoot made her heart race.
That's why she'd tagged along for the final four-day Gangwon-do location shoot.
Partly to assist the exhausted Do Hyun-woo, who'd been on set nonstop for weeks.
As Chae Seo-hee mulled over what to report to SSK, mentally checking items off her list.
Vrooom—
Out of nowhere, massive trucks started rolling into the set entrance one after another.
Six of them, no less.
Those are catering trucks?
With her extensive site experience, Chae Seo-hee knew they weren't ordinary meal vans.
Premium of premiums.
Separate cooking truck, frozen ingredient reefer, serving truck, even a barista coffee cart and a top-tier snack truck pricier than most meal vans.
The so-called mobile fine dining.
Sure enough, as the trucks halted, catering staff transformed one side of the set into a fine dining zone.
The dizzying scent of money left the staff bewildered.
"Th-this is for us?"
"Hope so..."
"Snap out of it. No way."
"Hey, call the director. SSK must've messed up. Wrong set?"
"Those grapes are definitely sour..."
The staff reactions were unanimous.
No way that's our meal service.
Gongbeomche had no big-name actors.
Even major stars rarely got this treatment.
Maybe if top-tier fans pooled their vital energies?
Chae Seo-hee, thinking the same, was about to frantically call SSK when.
Whoosh—
All the catering trucks' banners unfurled in unison.
And there,
"?!"
A handsome man's shy smile,
Milky-White Do Hyun-woo
"......!?"
emblazoned boldly.
At the same time, Do Hyun-woo sprinted from the far end of the set at unbelievable speed and assaulted the passenger seat.
"Hey! Seo Jae-yeon! Take that down right now?!"
And who emerged from the passenger seat? Seo Jae-yeon herself.
Wearing an immensely satisfied grin.
"I-it's really Seo Jae-yeon?"
"Seo Jae-yeon the actor? Here?"
"Sh-should I get an autograph?"
Even the staff who dismissed most celebs as "acting technicians" buzzed with excitement.
And rightly so—it was Seo Jae-yeon.
The one 20-something actress who could claim top spot in Chungmuro.
Come next year, the sole 30-something capable of it.
Meaning she sat at the absolute pinnacle among living Korean actresses.
The Seo Jae-yeon who barely did variety shows, earning her the title "celebrity's celebrity"...
Milky-White Do Hyun-woo?
Chae Seo-hee was stunned.
Utterly shocked.
But...
"Kim Jae-yeon and Kim Jae-hyeok. Twin sibling theater actors."
"For real? Show me their profiles?"
"No, I'm a nobody actor. What no-name hangs with a top star like that?"
"Go to Saessak Theater, and you'll see Kim Jae-yeon and Kim Jae-hyeok. Want a ticket?"
The sense of betrayal hit harder.
"You con artist!"
"Thanks for the meal!"
"Graciously received!"
The staff chirped like baby birds as they dug in.
"Whoa, insane. See the blood on that steak?"
"Wh-what dish is this?"
"Mimi..."
"Speak up."
"Super chef!!!"
They looked like ancient folk discovering a futuristic city.
The actors' reactions weren't much different.
If anything, our drama's cast—mostly indie film vets—was even less accustomed to "meal vans," a rarity on tight-budget indie sets.
So every time I passed by, the cheers erupted.
"Milky-White Do Hyun-woo!"
"Love you, CE!"
Ah, damn.
Gonna get teased for a while.
But honestly? Felt pretty good.
I knew better than anyone the hardships they'd endured to make this drama.
Sharing good food lifts the spirits, right?
Except.
"Hey, Seo Jae-yeon."
"Yeah?"
"You really have no sense of money? How much is all this? Gonna blow it all?"
"Senior must not watch news, but there's this thing called trickle-down economics."
Trickle-down my ass.
I sighed and sat next to Seo Jae-yeon.
We weren't eating outdoors but in the four-seater hall inside the serving assist truck.
Across from me: director Jung Hee-soo and Chae Seo-hee.
Considering Seo Jae-yeon's fame, this made sense.
Even meals should be comfortable.
"When'd you get back from London?"
"Why's the one thing everyone knows the thing my senior doesn't?"
"Showing off your fame now?"
"If I flaunt fame like that, I can afford some swagger."
"Nice line."
"From that rom-com I shot last time."
"Get chummy with the writer. Suits you."
We bantered like we'd met yesterday despite the gap, so director Jung Hee-soo, munching ribs, chimed in.
"Didn't know Do CE was tight with actress Seo Jae-yeon. You two seem close."
Seo Jae-yeon snorted.
"We're not that close."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Didn't even text when he quit acting and left the company. Strangers at this point."
"What? I texted right away."
"Can '17 days' pair with 'right away'?"
"......Heart was heavy. Retiring from acting stirred up a lot."
"That same night you decided on Sung Tae-chang oppa and SSK?"
Ah, Sung Tae-chang.
System message with a mouth like a faucet.
"But seriously, why're you here?"
Seo Jae-yeon had a fourth-dimensional vibe, but she wasn't reckless.
Or rather, she used to be, but I'd straightened her out?
Showing up openly with this extravagant meal service wasn't just to see my face.
She'd have scheduled privately for that.
And sure enough, she got to the point.
Utterly out of left field.
"For a cameo."