Chapter 33
“What, am I here on vacation? I’m the director! Why is everything I want to do being shot down?”
Lee Beom-un was in the middle of a heated argument with Jeong Woon-Young.
They had just rejected Park Jung-yoon’s Miracle for editing.
Now they were saying no to Min Taehoon’s Summer Night as the drama OST, which made Lee Beom-un livid.
Jeong Woon-Young, watching him calmly, smirked and said,
“You want to make art, don’t you? But guess what? I have to run a business.”
To avoid being swarmed by creditors after the drama production wrapped up, they had to keep their expenses tightly controlled.
There were plenty of seniors in the industry who had sunk their budgets, thinking their dramas would succeed, only to fail miserably.
Lee Beom-un yelled back,
“Fine, then shut down the company and open a shop instead. Who even makes money off dramas?”
“Listen to this guy. If you’re frugal and make a good drama, why can’t you make money?”
“Because it’s not just about saving money. Viewers’ expectations have risen, you know.”
Gone were the days when a car scene was filmed with a stationary car and someone shaking branches outside the window.
They no longer stopped cars in parking lots and sprayed water for fake rain either.
Even when using a tow truck to carry the car with staff and cameras, viewers complained it didn’t feel realistic enough.
“Sure, viewers’ expectations have risen. That’s why we save on unnecessary expenses and spend on what’s essential.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying we need a proper OST. Just buy two songs—a Korean song and a pop song—and I’ll deliver great music for emotional scenes. I won’t even need a water truck for crying scenes.”
“A pop song? Hell no!”
Pop songs were even more expensive than Korean songs. Using one meant entering tedious, drawn-out negotiations with record labels.
The mere thought of it made Jeong Woon-Young’s head throb as he shook his hand dismissively.
“Just use something sung by a rookie. A song from Sonamu Entertainment came in the other day. They’re begging us to use it and only asking for a million won.”
“No way. Take back the 30 million won you gave to Kim Doyun and buy the song with that money!”
The fact that they had spent 30 million won on Kim Doyun infuriated Lee Beom-un.
Spending that much on a rookie producer while skimping on OST costs was beyond frustrating.
“How can i ask for money back after signing a contract?”
“And the 2.5 million won monthly salary he’s getting as a planning producer? Isn’t that a double contract?”
Kim Doyun had been promoted to a planning producer and was now earning 2.5 million won monthly—an amount justified as a managerial-level salary.
It baffled Lee Beom-un why they were so stingy elsewhere but lenient with Kim Doyun.
“Cars, beds, furniture, even the actors’ costumes—Doyun brought all of it through sponsorships. In two days, he brought in 300 million won worth of sponsorships and says he’ll bring in 200 million more.”
“……”
“So, would you not pay him? Honestly, 2.5 million isn’t enough. If he asked for 3 million, we’d have to give it.”
Jeong Woon-Young couldn’t fathom how Kim Doyun managed to secure such sponsorships, but one thing was clear.
‘He’s exceptional.’
Of course, the drama’s ratings would depend on how well Han Jiseon wrote the script and how well the actors performed.
But whether the production succeeded financially was entirely a matter of money.
To not only recover expenses but also turn a profit, the planning producer had to be sharp.
Even though Jeong Woon-Young held the keys to the budget, it was up to the planning producer to cut spending on the ground.
All the filming equipment was rented and charged by the hour.
If the director dragged out the shooting schedule as though making a movie, the production costs would spiral, and the production company would collapse.
‘Honestly, it’s a good thing Doyun and Beom-un don’t get along.’
Doyun would make sure Beom-un’s artistic tendencies didn’t lead to an entire day wasted on a single scene.
As Jeong Woon-Young’s trust in Kim Doyun grew, Lee Beom-un’s frustration deepened.
“Then let Doyun handle the OST too.”
“Do you even want to remain a director?”
“I’m just saying, you don’t listen to me at all and only praise Kim Doyun!”
“Grow up already.”
“Say what you will, but I’m not giving up on Min Taehoon’s Summer Night. They’re asking for 20 million won.”
“Twenty million, my foot. Why spend cash without even listening to the songs of singers begging us to use their music? Ugh, my head hurts.”
Just then, Jeong Woon-Young’s phone vibrated. It was a call from Kim Doyun. Before answering, he warned Beom-un,
“Don’t interrupt my call. You might return to the broadcast station someday, but this guy’s my employee, got it?”
“No respect for seniors.”
“Show me some respect first and then talk.”
After glaring at him, Jeong Woon-Young answered the call.
“Yes, Producer Kim. What? Min Taehoon?”
At the mention of Min Taehoon, Lee Beom-un perked up his ears.
“Ah, got it.”
Ending the short call, Jeong Woon-Young turned to Lee Beom-un.
“Hey, Beom-un. You really owe Doyun for this.”
“What do you mean?”
Nervous, Beom-un swallowed hard.
“Doyun just asked if he could close the deal for Min Taehoon’s Summer Night.”
“Producer Kim? For how much?”
Jeong Woon-Young raised two fingers.
“What? Twenty million? You ignore me when I say it costs 20 million, but now that Doyun says it’s worth it, you agree?”
“No, not 20 million… this.”
He emphasized the two fingers again.
“If not 20 million… Don’t tell me!”
“Two million. Are you still going to claim Doyun isn’t talented?”
***
“I was surprised they agreed to 2 million won. With agencies competitively raising licensing fees, I didn’t expect it.”
At a meeting arranged by Moon Sungil, Doyun sat down with Min Taehoon, where they finalized the deal.
Even knowing this was all thanks to Moon Sungil’s influence, Doyun still found it surreal.
With a soothing voice befitting a ballad singer, Min Taehoon said,
“When I composed the song, I imagined a beach atmosphere inspired by Jeongdongjin. It feels like fate since the drama is set there too.”
“I’m surprised you’ve been to Jeongdongjin. It’s my hometown.”
“Really?”
Min Taehoon’s eyes sparkled as he spoke about the serenity of Jeongdongjin’s beach and the breeze from the bamboo forest.
The Jeongdongjin he described, filled with his emotional impressions, was similar yet different from the one in Doyun’s memory.
Perhaps that was only natural.
To Doyun, Jeongdongjin was both his hometown and his mother’s workplace—a mix of happy memories and difficult ones.
But to Min Taehoon, it was likely a beautiful, unfamiliar travel destination he had passed through.
And then, surprisingly—
“There’s a place called Dodo’s Snack Bar there. Do you know it?”
“Oh, I do.”
When the name of his mother’s snack bar came up, a smile unconsciously formed on Doyun’s face.
With a calmer expression, as if recalling the past, Min Taehoon said,
“After I got discharged from the military, I impulsively took a night train to Gangneung. I walked from there toward Pohang, wondering if I could make a living with music. That’s how I ended up in Jeongdongjin. It rained so heavily that day.”
“……”
“It was early spring, and I was shivering. I just wanted some warm fishcake broth and found myself at Dodo’s Snack Bar.”
Without needing to see it, Doyun could vividly imagine how his mother must have looked at Min Taehoon.
Thinking of her eldest son, who had gone to Seoul empty-handed, and her second son, Dohoon, who had entered the military, she would have likely fetched a towel first.
“She brought me a towel right away. She said the clothes were her son’s and handed me a T-shirt and pants.”
“Yes.”
“She also turned on the heater and gave me fried snacks, ramen, and gimbap, even though I didn’t order them. She said, ‘When you’re hungry, nothing else matters.’”
“…That sounds like her.”
“Sorry, what?”
With wide eyes, Min Taehoon looked at Doyun. Unable to avoid it any longer, Doyun smiled faintly and nodded.
“I know her pretty well—actually, very well.”
“Could it be?”
Seeing Min Taehoon’s astonished expression, Doyun finally admitted it.
“Yes. She’s my mother.”
“Kim Doyun… Dodo’s Snack Bar.”
Repeating Doyun’s name and the snack bar’s name, Min Taehoon burst out laughing.
“So that’s why it’s called Dodo’s Snack Bar? I always thought it was named after a little kid named Dohee.”
“That little troublemaker.”
“She was adorable.”
Thinking of Dohee, both men laughed. Feeling like they had grown closer, they shared a comfortable moment before Min Taehoon spoke again.
“The gimbap your mother made was really delicious.”
“You should visit again. When the drama starts filming, I’ll be down in Jeongdongjin too.”
“I’ll make sure to stop by.”
Coincidences turned into connections, and those connections quickly transformed into destiny.
“Please use my song freely in the drama you’re producing, Producer Kim Doyun.”
“Thank you. I’ll work hard to keep this connection going. I hope to bring you on board as a music director for my next drama.”
“Being a music director was actually my dream.”
After establishing himself as a ballad singer, Min Taehoon had stopped performing on stage and focused solely on releasing albums.
This was because the music industry had grown even dirtier after Director Moon Sungil left.
Unlike when Moon Sungil was around, you needed to pay to perform on stage or host concerts if you didn’t want to.
Traumatized by the Angel’s Fall incident, Min Taehoon limited himself to releasing albums and shooting music videos to update fans on his life.
Under a pseudonym, he had begun working as a music director.
Having been a composer, he enjoyed the work and excelled at it.
In his previous life, their schedules hadn’t aligned, so Doyun couldn’t work with him.
‘In this life, I’ll make sure we get to collaborate.’
***
After leaving Min Taehoon’s studio, Doyun immediately called Moon Sungil.
It was only polite to update the person who had introduced him to Min Taehoon.
“Director, it’s me. Thanks to you, I’ve finalized the OST contract for the drama.”
Moon Sungil didn’t hide his delight and responded with a cheerful voice.
“-That’s great to hear. I’m working on finding weaknesses in the neighboring programs while keeping my own show secure. By the way, would you join me on my program?”
“You’re inviting me to Music Campfire?”
“-Yes. If you don’t want to come alone, bring a partner or friend. Starting with this broadcast, we’ve reserved the first 20 seats.”
“May I ask why?”
“-We’re placing security personnel and emergency staff there. It’s a public broadcast, so we need to ensure safety.”
“That’s an excellent decision.”
“-I’ve also proposed switching the live broadcast to a pre-recorded one. The approval should come through in two weeks or so.”
That meant they would continue live broadcasting for two more weeks.
‘He must be worried something might happen during that time.’
—
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