Chapter 36
Once again today, a semi-transparent window appeared in view.
[‘A Summer’s Cantabile’ is experiencing a surge in ratings…]
‘Yeah, I know.’
Bae Shin-ho had been rapidly handling all the tasks he had been putting off. Hwang Changsoo, fortunately, had only been involved in a minor capacity, so there wasn’t much damage caused.
‘If he’d stirred up unnecessary trouble, cleaning up the mess would’ve been even more work.’
Doyun half-listened to the announcer’s commentary as he boarded the bus.
Since he was heading to work earlier than usual, the bus was relatively empty. He planned to use the time to organize his tasks for the day.
However, he found himself unable to sit down even with empty seats available.
[… The rival series, The Emperor of the Night, continues to face setbacks. Amidst disappointing ratings, lead actor Jin Gunwoo has been left in a coma following a motorcycle accident. We now connect to our reporter at the hospital…]
Jin Gunwoo was one of the top three male actors in the industry, known for his mystique and little-known personal life.
In the action-noir drama The Emperor of the Night, Jin Gunwoo played a leading role.
The press and insiders had predicted that The Emperor of the Night, set in the underworld, would achieve record-breaking ratings.
But early on, the series faced backlash for glamorizing crime. The writer rushed to revise the script, causing the story to lose its coherence.
The ratings didn’t just drop—they plummeted to the point where only hate-watchers remained.
The director must have been desperate.
Perhaps that’s why he dressed Jin Gunwoo in a leather riding jacket and pants, putting him on a motorcycle.
The resulting scene had Jin Gunwoo, without a helmet, speeding down Gangnam Boulevard.
‘Was the logic something like “Have you ever seen a gangster wearing a helmet?” What nonsense.’
To make matters worse, a traffic violation was broadcast in the scene, leading to disciplinary action from the Broadcasting Standards Commission.
A formal apology was aired via subtitles, and the scene was removed from reruns.
Meanwhile, A Summer’s Cantabile continued to gain overwhelming popularity.
The oppressive summer heat and consecutive tropical nights may have driven viewers to seek the cool seaside scenes in the series.
The moment when the ethereal Jeon Sera walked barefoot along the beach in a snow-white dress, with Seo Dongjin leaping into the ocean beside her, became a ratings sensation.
‘Everyone kept asking, “Where’s Jeongdongjin? I want to go there.”’
A Summer’s Cantabile was steadily moving forward in its production milestones.
The failure of The Emperor of the Night seemed inevitable.
‘Its premise is too heavy, and the plot is full of inconsistencies.’
However, in the previous timeline, the accident leaving Jin Gunwoo in a coma never occurred.
‘Why has the future changed?’
Doyun stood still, staring at the empty seat before him, lost in thought. A man in a suit eventually took the seat, catching Doyun’s eye with the newspaper he was holding.
-Jin Gunwoo takes on the role of a betrayed man seeking vengeance.
Doyun couldn’t tear his gaze away from Jin Gunwoo’s photo.
***
“This company is so lovely. It even has a golf practice range!”
By midday, Jeong Woon-young had invited a group of veteran actors from weekend dramas to the company.
These were older actors in their fifties or above who would play the parents of Jeon Sera and Seo Dongjin in the series.
“Director, you’re surprisingly romantic! You even planted flowers in the garden?”
Seong Soyeong, a beautiful actress active since the 1970s, admired the flowers with a girlish delight.
“Soyeong, are you saying you didn’t know I’m a romantic? That’s disappointing.”
Jeong Woon-young put on a playful expression, trying to appear lighthearted.
“Romantic, my foot. Liking flowers just means you’re old.”
Seo Dongjin’s father in the series, Woo Guk-hwan, sourly interjected, throwing cold water on the cheerful atmosphere.
Knowing Woo Guk-hwan’s personality, Jeong Woon-young had hesitated to cast him until the last moment.
But there was no one better to portray the fiery-tempered fisherman character. Casting him had been an unavoidable decision.
Doyun also had no intention of opposing Woo Guk-hwan’s casting. The man was an exceptional actor.
The issue was that his real-life demeanor wasn’t too different from his characters.
“Lunch is at a Chinese restaurant, right? Why is it always black bean noodles? The world is full of other foods to try.”
“We’ll just order sweet and sour pork!”
Jeong Woon-young snapped back at Woo Guk-hwan’s grumbling.
“Do you really think fried food is healthy? It’s hard to digest.”
“Wow, you must have quite the fragile stomach if sweet and sour pork gives you trouble.”
“Did I say I can’t digest it? I’m just saying it’s generally hard to digest.”
“Sure, sure. You’re really showing your age. You should think twice before mocking me for liking flowers. You’re getting old too.”
As Jeong Woon-young and Woo Guk-hwan bickered, Jo Soo-jin, who would play Jeon Sera’s mother, tactfully intervened to ease the tension.
“Oppas, I’m hungry.”
“Oh, right. We can’t have our Soo-jin starving. Let’s go, shall we?”
Jeong Woon-young began leading the middle-aged actors toward the restaurant but suddenly stopped.
“PD Kim.”
Ugh. Why is he calling me?
Doyun, who had been focused on budgeting, pretended not to hear. At his age, he could get away with it.
Being in his twenties, Doyun didn’t want to join that group.
Rather than gaining energy, he was certain he’d lose it all.
“Hey, Kim Doyun!”
Jeong Woon-young shouted loudly, drawing the attention of all the actors to Doyun.
“Yes? Oh, Director, I have something urgent I need to…”
“Lead the way.”
Jeong Woon-young cut him off and gestured for him to keep an eye on Woo Guk-hwan.
“But I have some schedules this afternoon…”
“And I don’t? Don’t we need to eat regardless?”
“Why are you so irritable? PD Kim, come with us. Please?”
Seong So-young approached and grabbed Doyun’s arm, leaving him no choice but to follow them to the Chinese restaurant.
Once the food was served, Woo Guk-hwan ordered Yantai Gaoliang liquor.
Everyone seemed to be planning to have a drink, as the server set glasses for each person, and no one objected.
“Our PD Kim, how old are you?”
Seong So-young poured Doyun a drink and asked.
“…I’m still in my twenties.”
“Ah, but how old exactly?”
“So-young, are you here for a blind date? Why are you so eager to ask his age with those sparkling eyes?”
When Jeong Woon-young teased her, Seong So-young laughed and waved her hands.
“Oh, Director. How could I go on a blind date with someone in their twenties at my age? Hohoho.”
“Fifty-six.”
At that moment, Woo Guk-hwan downed his drink in one gulp and chimed in.
“Ugh!”
Seong So-young playfully punched him, and Woo Guk-hwan grimaced exaggeratedly.
“Look at her, acting like that. Please, act your age. Stop flirting with the young PD. You’ve been divorced three times.”
“Well, at least I got alimony. Didn’t you lose everything? Now you’re broke and still lecturing me.”
As Woo Guk-hwan was about to retaliate harshly, Doyun quickly picked up the bottle.
“Sir? Let me pour you a drink.”
Please don’t cause a scene. His eyes pleaded as he poured the drink, prompting Woo Guk-hwan to clear his throat and hold out his glass.
Meanwhile, Jo Soo-jin, seated next to Jeong Woon-young, spoke up.
“You know the drama competing with ours? The Emperor of the Night. Jin Gunwoo, who’s in the same agency as me, was cast as the lead, right? But…”
Hearing her mention The Emperor of the Night, Doyun glanced at her.
‘What? I can’t hear her.’
The distance made it impossible to catch what she was saying. However, whatever Jo Soo-jin whispered made Jeong Woon-young’s eyes widen in disbelief.
“Really?”
“I can’t stand him. Even when I run into him at the office, he’s always scowling.”
“…But with the drama starting soon, that’s not acceptable.”
Jeong Woon-young looked like he had struck gold, giving unsolicited advice.
“I don’t know. I’m just saying. Anyway, Gunwoo seems really down. He might have depression.”
“Depression is a serious matter.”
“Let’s stop talking about that now. We’re here to focus on making our drama a success, aren’t we?”
Jeong Woon-young, looking quite excited, raised his glass.
“Exactly. Let’s do our best, Soo-jin. I mean, Hye-in’s mother! Please give it your all.”
Raising his glass, he made a toast.
_
“Is there something wrong with Jin Gunwoo?”
After the meal and sending the actors on their way, Doyun returned to the company with Jeong Woon-young.
Although Doyun hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, Jeong Woon-young had several drinks, leaving his face flushed.
“What problem?”
Jeong Woon-young dismissed the question as if it were nothing.
“Jo Soo-jin is in the same agency as Jin Gunwoo, right? She seemed to be saying something about him earlier.”
“Should I even be telling you this?”
Clearly itching to spill the information, Jeong Woon-young chuckled and glanced around.
Despite there being no one around to overhear, he acted like he was about to share a major secret.
“They say Jin Gunwoo has severe depression. His agency’s CEO tried to stop him from joining the drama.”
“……”
“But Gunwoo insisted. After all, what actor doesn’t want to do action scenes?”
“That’s true.”
With the allure of flashy performances, gunfire, and spy drama themes, even top actors’ agencies often reached out first when such projects were announced.
Perhaps even in poor condition, Jin Gunwoo couldn’t resist the desire to act.
“In The Emperor of the Night, his character is already grim, but hearing that he’s struggling in real life too… It’s hard to say if this is a good or bad thing.”
You’ve already decided it’s doomed, haven’t you?
Noticing Doyun’s skeptical expression, Jeong Woon-young abruptly changed his demeanor.
“Ahem! By the way, you managed to secure the OST cheaply, didn’t you? What trick did you use to lower the price? Tell me the story.”
“I didn’t ‘lower the price.’”
If Min Taehoon heard that, he might want to revoke the contract altogether.
The song Summer Night was the result of Taehoon’s intense contemplation during his journey from Gangneung to Jeongdongjin in the rain.
“Just because we got Summer Night for 2 million won doesn’t mean that’s its true value.”
“Kim Doyun, doesn’t living like that tire you out? Why are you so earnest about everything?”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Jeong Woon-young shot Doyun a side-eye before smirking and lighting a cigarette.
“Are you going to keep living like that? It’ll be tough. In this industry, sincerity doesn’t mean a thing. Just stick with me. Five years—no, give it ten years, and you’ll become the god of dramas.”
“The god of dramas?”
“Exactly. Am I not already the god of weekend melodramas? Learn from me, and you’ll surpass even that.”
That cocky attitude of offering to teach him made Doyun suppress a laugh.
—
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