Chapter 37
There was no such thing as a “God of Dramas.”
The time it took for the name Kim Doyun, who once dominated the drama industry in his past life, to fade from people’s minds was only a few months.
Compared to the lifetime he had poured into earning that name, his exit from the industry had been pitifully insignificant.
Directors who had built outstanding achievements in areas different from his, and writers who had been regarded as ratings generators, likewise, were never called the “God of Dramas.”
Times change, and so do the elements that captivate audiences.
Of course, dramas hailed as masterpieces continue to be talked about 20 or 30 years later, but even those who created them were not referred to as “gods.”
Dramas were like consumables.
The people who consumed them grew older, and the dramas they once loved faded from memory.
‘That’s why my dream is to create a drama that remains unforgettable forever.’
Not because he wanted to become a God of Dramas, but because he wanted to leave behind a drama that would be loved for eternity.
“You’ll realize it eventually if you keep working in this industry. No one will treat you any differently just because you planned a single drama.”
“……”
“That’s why you need to stay under me for five or ten years, build your name, and then go independent. By then, I’ll probably be retired. Who knows? You might even become the president of H Productions.”
Here he goes again with his sales pitch.
Kim Doyun laughed, letting the words go in one ear and out the other, appreciating that Jeong Woon-young at least acknowledged his contributions so far.
“Anyway, let’s do well together.”
Jeong Woon-young patted Doyun lightly on the shoulder before asking, “So, how’s the plan to pull in that 3 billion won sponsorship going? Is it going well?”
“…I should be able to finalize the contract by the end of this week.”
“Great! If all goes well, I think I can raise an additional 1 billion on top of that. Oh, by the way, can you check if Seo Dongjin knows how to ride a motorcycle?”
A bad feeling crept over him.
As Kim Doyun hesitated to answer, Jeong Woon-young waved his hand dismissively.
“Never mind, I’ll ask myself.”
Right then and there, Jeong Woon-young called Seo Dongjin’s agency president.
“Hey, President Yoo. It’s me, Jeong Woon-young. Does Seo Dongjin know how to ride a motorcycle? If not, we can use a stunt double, so no worries. Yeah, yeah. Got it.”
After hanging up, Jeong Woon-young crushed his cigarette butt in the trash can and chuckled.
“You know what I’ve learned from sticking it out in this industry for so long? Hitting it big is all about luck. But this time, it feels like all the luck is coming my way.”
“……”
“It feels like everything is aligning perfectly. How am I this lucky?”
The drama The Emperor of the Night was centered around Jin Gunwoo. Jin Gunwoo’s struggle with depression was no small crisis for the project.
Jeong Woon-young hummed a cheerful tune as though someone else’s misfortune was his happiness.
Returning to the office, Jeong Woon-young seemed even more elated, declaring that he would “wipe the floor” with The Emperor of the Night and gearing up for battle.
“Hey, Producer Do!”
Do Suyeong, who had just brushed his teeth after lunch and was still holding his toothbrush, was called over by Jeong Woon-young.
“Yes, sir?”
“Are you working on the press release?”
“Oh, yes.”
Do Suyeong, who had been preparing for a different project, had recently been assigned to A Summer’s Cantabile. His responsibilities now included early-stage marketing and various smaller tasks.
Jeong Woon-young, who had cut costs by avoiding professional marketing firms, pushed this arrangement forward haphazardly. Nevertheless, Do Suyeong was managing the tasks quite competently.
But Jeong Woon-young seemed unimpressed, glaring at him as if he wasn’t doing enough.
“The Emperor of the Night churns out dozens of articles every day. Why are we stuck with scraps?”
“That’s because Jin Gunwoo’s name value prompts journalists to write articles…”
“Hey! Do Suyeong! Doesn’t Jeon Sera have name value? She’s a fairy, a fairy!”
“…Yes, of course.”
Though agreeing outwardly, Do Suyeong probably thought, ‘How can you compare Jin Gunwoo to Jeon Sera?’
Kim Doyun thought the same.
It wasn’t that Jeon Sera lacked star power. As a CF star, she had maintained her presence through interviews and photo shoots.
But Jin Gunwoo, with his complete air of mystery, had a unique draw. Even the mere publication of his photograph boosted newspaper sales.
‘That’s why reporters are eager to write about him.’
Even bland articles like “Jin Gunwoo Takes a Photoshoot” garnered interest, making Jin Gunwoo and The Emperor of the Night practically self-promoting.
Jeong Woon-young roared, “We need to emphasize that our drama lineup isn’t inferior to The Emperor of the Night! Call Jeon Sera and tell her to send her childhood photos.”
“Childhood photos?”
When Do Suyeong asked in confusion, Jeong Woon-young explained smugly, “They’re sending out shirtless photos of Jin Gunwoo. We can’t do that, so we’ll send baby photos of Jeon Sera instead.”
“…Understood.”
As soon as Do Suyeong responded, Jeong Woon-young whipped out his phone and made another call.
“Ah, Reporter Park! It’s me, Jeong Woon-young. We’ll be releasing Jeon Sera’s childhood photos shortly. How about the headline: ‘Natural Beauty Takes on the Nation’s First Love Role’? Great, isn’t it?”
Jeong Woon-young ascended the stairs, likely planning to pester more reporters until his buzz from lunchtime drinks wore off.
“Shouldn’t it be her 100-day baby photos instead of her first birthday photos?”
As Do Suyeong grumbled to himself, Choi Young-ah laughed gleefully.
“Right, it should be a hundred-day photo for it to be shirtless…”
“Ah, I can’t take this.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Do Suyeong walked over to Doyun’s desk.
“Producer Kim, you know the Cosmetan meeting is tomorrow evening, right?”
Cosmetan, a cosmetics company. A meeting had been scheduled with their PR representative along with the sponsorship documents.
The fact that Do Suyeong knew about this was likely because the company president was her father.
“Yes, I’m aware. Producer Do, you’ll be joining, right?”
“Would that be okay?”
“As long as you understand it’s not a personal engagement, I don’t see why it would be an issue.”
Doyun’s clear and professional tone seemed to catch Suyeong off guard. Her eyes blinked in surprise, but she quickly brushed it off and continued speaking.
Doyun had no intention of blurring the line between work and personal feelings. It was obvious such distractions would interfere with work.
Even in his previous life, he had spent not a single second on dating or marriage. His sole focus had been success, and he had no interest in anything outside of that.
Of course, there had been moments—when he was too sick even to swallow porridge—where he’d wished someone could take care of him.
But that was a fleeting, weak thought.
Not being married had been a blessing.
‘If I had a family, they wouldn’t deserve to go through what I did.’
Having lost his father at an early age, Doyun had watched his mother struggle to raise three children on her own, enduring all sorts of hardship.
Not all the customers who came to her snack bar were high school girls or tourists looking for tteokbokki.
Sometimes drunk locals would come by just to start trouble.
When his mother faced violence she couldn’t handle alone, young Doyun would rush at the adults, biting their legs.
Even when fists came flying at him, he never backed down.
If he cried and lost the fight, there would be no one to protect his mother.
He didn’t want his children to go through the same thing.
Even if he quit drinking, ate every meal, and consumed the healthiest food he could, would that stop him from getting cancer?
‘You never know.’
Ending the brief train of thought, Doyun picked up his phone to check the reading schedule, only to feel Suyeong’s eyes still on him.
When he looked up, she asked with an expression of disbelief:
“Do you dislike me?”
“…I’m grateful for the help you’ve given with marketing.”
“Ha, seriously! Just say you don’t like women like me.”
“Pardon?”
It was rare for Doyun to be startled, but Suyeong’s abruptness had genuinely thrown him off.
“Producer Do.”
He hoped Suyeong would realize this wasn’t an appropriate conversation for the office, so he gestured subtly with his chin.
While everyone else had their heads buried behind partitions pretending not to listen, it was clear their ears were perked.
But Suyeong didn’t seem to care about others’ opinions as she pressed on.
“Then why do you respond to my texts so diligently?”
“…Because it’s polite.”
Suyeong, being a colleague, had sometimes sent him work-related texts, which he naturally responded to.
Even when she sent casual questions like “What are you up to?” he answered.
To him, replying to texts wasn’t anything special—just common courtesy.
But hearing that his replies were out of politeness made Suyeong breathe harder, her face turning red with frustration.
“Politeness? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Suyeong stomped back to her desk, grabbed a shopping bag from under it, and thrust it at his chest.
“Throw it away or do whatever you want with it.”
“…What is this?”
“What else would it be? A birthday gift.”
She had remembered his birthday and prepared a gift. Clearly, Dongsoo had been right.
Suyeong liked him.
‘Now what?’
The gazes peeking over the partitions all seemed to be saying the same thing.
‘What are you going to do now, buddy?’
Some eyes seemed to urge him to take the chance and accept her feelings, while others shook their heads as if to say workplace romances were a bad idea.
Snapping out of his daze, Doyun raised his voice for everyone to hear.
“Director Lee Beom-un will be coming for a production meeting at 2 o’clock. Make sure everything is prepared.”
***
“Yes, Mom.”
While preparing for the production meeting, Doyun received a call from his mother.
“-You’re not too busy for this call, are you?”
“I just had lunch and am getting ready for a meeting. Did something happen?”
“-Nothing in particular. Just calling to say happy birthday, my son.”
When he had woken up that morning, his mother had sent him a text wishing him a happy birthday.
He had replied briefly, but it seemed she wanted to talk to him directly.
She had probably hesitated to call several times, worried about disturbing his work.
“Thank you, Mom. You went through so much to raise me, and I’m always grateful for that.”
“-I don’t even deserve to hear such words from you. Especially not from you.”
She sounded regretful, perhaps remembering how she hadn’t been able to send him to a four-year university.
He had attended a junior college, paying his way through with odd jobs and even manual labor to cover his broadcasting academy fees.
“But you gave me a healthy body, and now I’m doing well because of it.”
“-You’re not sick or anything, right?”
“Of course not.”
“-I deposited some money into your account. Business has been so good lately that I think I might end up rich.”
She had mentioned recently that after Jeon Sera’s visit to Jeongdongjin, the snack bar had been packed with customers.
It had become so busy that she had hired two helpers to keep up with the crowd.
The fact that she could take time for a phone call now was likely thanks to the extra help.
‘At least I’ve done something right by her.’
—
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