Episode 12
Kim Doyun, Planning Producer at H Production.
The script Doyun handed over featured the male lead of A Summer’s Cantabile, “Yeonwoo,” who was the son of a fisherman and possessed a rugged yet pure charm.
‘This is it, the role I’ve been looking for!’
Seo Dongjin was so eager to play the role of Yeonwoo that he could hardly sit still.
However, the role of Yeonwoo had already been cast for Lee Jugeon.
‘But PD Kim spoke as if I would get to play Yeonwoo.’
Seo Dongjin recalled what Kim Doyun had said.
[It’s true that actor Lee Jugeon has been cast, but the contract hasn’t been signed yet. He’s demanding only two studio shoots and one outdoor shoot per week, which is a lot of pressure.]
[A lead actor in a mini-series only committing three days a week means they’re not focusing on the role.]
[Since the contract hasn’t been signed yet, please take a look at the script casually.]
Although Doyun had spoken casually as if not to pressure him, the words only stirred Dongjin’s heart further.
‘If the contract hasn’t been signed yet, it means they could drop Lee Jugeon.’
Writer Han Jiseon was famous for scripts that maximized the appeal of the male and female leads.
Director Lee Beom-un had delivered striking cinematography in two one-act plays.
If Dongjin were cast in a drama created by such a talented writer and an up-and-coming director, he’d give it everything he had!
‘But how long do they expect me to wait?’
Feeling restless, Seo Dongjin struggled to sleep at night. By noon, he woke up and turned on the TV out of habit.
[…Actor Lee Jugeon involved in a drunk driving accident…]
“What? Who?”
Dongjin raised the TV volume with the remote and focused on the news.
“Wow, damn! That’s spooky. Did PD Kim consult some kind of powerful fortune-teller?”
With Lee Jugeon involved in a drunk driving accident, it was obvious that his casting was out of the question.
The agency would now scramble to find a new actor for the role of “Yeonwoo.”
Dongjin immediately called Kim Doyun.
“PD Kim, this is Seo Dongjin. I thoroughly enjoyed the script you gave me. I saw the news about Lee Jugeon’s drunk driving accident last night. Does this mean I’ll be getting the role?”
-No.
The reply was curt. For a moment, Dongjin felt a jolt at the back of his head.
“What? What do you mean? You came to me with the script and now you’re messing with me?”
Confused and frustrated, Dongjin demanded an explanation.
-Dongjin, the production company is in chaos over the Lee Jugeon situation. If you go around saying, ‘Their misfortune is my opportunity,’ who would want to cast you?
Kim Doyun’s words hit Dongjin like a bucket of cold water, shocking him into clarity.
He had been reckless.
No matter how much he wanted the role, stepping forward and claiming it was not the way to go.
“I feel ashamed.”
-The reason I gave you the script was so that you’d be prepared if Writer Han and Director Lee decided to call on you once the situation is resolved.
“I understand what you mean.”
-It’ll take about two weeks for the casting director to contact you. After that, you’ll likely meet the writer and director.
“I’ll wait until then.”
Although Dongjin was someone who would argue back even with his agency’s CEO, he couldn’t bring himself to do so with Kim Doyun.
There was something about him—a sense of control and authority.
Doyun’s words made Dongjin feel that he stood to gain and learn a lot from this man.
“Then I’ll work hard on swimming, as you suggested, PD Kim.”
“Oh, by the way, would it be okay if I ask which swimming pool you go to?”
“I go to the Jamsil Swimming Pool.”
“Freestyle swimming, right? I was just curious about what time you usually swim.”
Thinking that Dongjin might want to swim together, he shared his schedule.
When Dongjin arrived at the Jamsil Swimming Pool at the agreed time, a high school student approached him.
“Seo Dongjin, right? Hello, I’m a fan.”
The boy’s shy expression and clear eyes gave him a gentle charm, almost as if he could be an actor himself.
“A male fan? Nice to meet you.”
Dongjin extended his hand for a handshake but noticed the boy’s hands were swollen and wrinkled, as if he had been in the water all day.
***
“Can things get any worse? Maybe I should get an exorcism.”
Writer Han Jiseon downed a bitter shot of soju as she vented her frustration over the delays in the drama caused by Lee Jugeon’s drunk driving.
However, Doyun knew that her frustration wasn’t solely because of Jugeon. The real issue lay with Han Jiseon herself.
‘Is she hitting a creative block?’
The script for Episode 3 hadn’t come out.
She had clashed with Director Lee Beom-un, used PD Kim’s resignation as leverage to argue with Jeong Woon-young, but the bigger issue was her own writing.
All the intriguing setups had been crammed into Episodes 1 and 2, leaving no fuel to stoke the fire in Episode 3.
‘It was the same in the past.’
For two weeks, she used the Lee Jugeon incident as an excuse to avoid writing even a single word, until Dongjin’s casting forced her to push out Episode 3.
It was obvious that it had been written under duress—the forced and unnatural elements practically screamed off the page.
But delaying the shoot any further was not an option. Filming A Summer’s Cantabile in autumn or winter was out of the question.
In the end, once filming began, Han Jiseon started churning out last-minute scripts, reducing the staff to homeless-like figures waiting on set for pages to arrive one at a time.
The mismatched plot and collapsed characters were turning the drama into a disaster.
In the past, when Doyun realized this couldn’t continue, he planted a figurative flag for Han Jiseon.
“Writer, just follow that flag.”
Desperate for anything to cling to, Han Jiseon ran toward the flag Doyun had planted, and from Episode 6 onward, the drama regained its footing.
It overcame the poor ratings of Episodes 3 and 4 and started climbing dramatically.
The result? A massive success.
At the wrap party, Han Jiseon privately thanked Doyun more than ten times.
However, the company didn’t acknowledge Doyun’s contribution, and the credit for planning went to Bae Shin-ho.
Doyun’s efforts only came to light ten years later, after A Summer’s Cantabile aired, when Han Jiseon mentioned his name during an interview for her comeback project.
‘This time, I’ll make sure that recognition comes sooner.’
He needed to prevent Episodes 3 and 4 from becoming disasters. Moreover, to avoid the staff suffering from rushed scripts, he had to set the right foundation early on.
“Writer, what if you saw this as an opportunity?”
“An opportunity? The drama is on the brink of collapsing.”
In the industry, “collapsing” is the term used when a project is canceled mid-production. It stems from the feeling of flipping over a fully set dining table.
However!
“As long as you push forward steadfastly, this drama won’t collapse. You’re Han Jiseon. The writer whom actors fight to work with just to appear in one of her works.”
“Oh, stop it. You’re making me blush.”
Doyun said this to lift the slightly drunk Han Jiseon’s spirits.
“Once this project is finished, your reputation as a writer will rise to another level.”
“That’s how it should be… but everything’s such a mess.”
“So why not see this as an opportunity to rewrite Episodes 1 and 2?”
“What did you say?”
After lifting her up high, it was time to bring her to reality.
He needed to point out what she was trying to ignore about her own shortcomings.
“I don’t think Episodes 1 and 2 represent your best work, Writer. You can do better, so why hide your talent?”
“No. I’ve never done that.”
Han Jiseon straightened up, her expression serious.
No matter how fond she was of Doyun, she couldn’t tolerate criticism of her scripts.
Are you saying I didn’t give it my all? This kid says anything, doesn’t he?
Her frustration boiled over, and she glared at Doyun with sharp eyes.
“I agonized over countless revisions. I gave it everything I had. And you, PD Kim, are unbelievably arrogant. Do you think I’m easy to mess with because I’ve been nice to you?”
“Of course not.”
“‘Of course not,’ huh? Then how dare you say such a thing?”
Han Jiseon, known for her fiery temper, was consumed by rage.
“Do you know how to write? Do you know how to draft a script? If you’re so great, why don’t you do it yourself?”
That’s why he was prepared. Doyun pulled an A4 sheet of paper from his coat pocket.
Unfolding the twice-folded paper into a palm-sized sheet, he placed it in front of Han Jiseon.
“Remember when I told you I went back to my hometown and thought about a few things? These are the ideas that came to mind.”
“What is this? Why bring something like this to a drinking session?”
Han Jiseon pouted and grumbled.
But her gaze lingered on the paper with curiosity.
“As a producer, I believe it’s my job to contribute ideas and resources that might help you, Writer. If my ideas aren’t helpful, feel free to discard them.”
Without hesitation, Doyun got up from his seat.
‘A Summer’s Cantabile’ had been a success, and Lee Beom-un had been overpraised as a star director.
However, Han Jiseon became infamous as a writer who sent rushed, incomplete scripts to the set.
The queen of last-minute scripts. A lunatic sending letters to the set. Is this a love letter? Why does it keep arriving?
Whenever filming was completed with her hurried scripts, one scene would be in Seoul, and the next in Jeongdongjin.
The staff became increasingly enraged.
Typically, production crews split into two or three teams: Team A for studio shoots, Team B for outdoor shoots, and in the case of thrillers or crime dramas, even Team C.
However, the exact division depended on actor schedules, scene importance, or difficulty, all at the director’s discretion.
But with Han Jiseon’s erratic last-minute scripts, both studio and outdoor teams had to wait indefinitely.
Sometimes for 24 hours straight.
The network eventually caught on, and they declared that Han Jiseon’s next project wouldn’t be scheduled unless eight full episodes were completed.
While other writers only needed to submit Episodes 1 and 2 to get a green light, Han Jiseon faced a penalty.
As a result, she couldn’t return for ten years after A Summer’s Cantabile ended.
But that would not happen in this timeline.
In Doyun’s dictionary, last-minute scripts were not an option.
He planned to set flags early to ensure Han Jiseon became a writer who consistently delivered her work on time.
***
After Doyun left, Han Jiseon unfolded the paper on the table and began to read.
“What?!”
Though there were only a few words written, it felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
The notes detailed exactly how to fix the issues in Episodes 1 and 2 and also addressed the bottleneck she faced in Episode 3.
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