Chapter 59
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
At Doyun’s words, Jang Sang-gu gave him a thumbs-up.
“Of course, it’s a compliment. You don’t have much on-site experience, so how do you read the staff like the back of your hand?”
“I’d prefer if you misunderstood and called it good instincts.”
“It’s not a misunderstanding.”
Jang Sang-gu let out a hearty laugh.
“Ahh, nothing beats taking a break and enjoying a frozen bar like this.”
“A frozen bar?”
“Oh, right. You’re too young to know, Kim PD. Back in my day, anything shaped like this was called a ‘Jjoo-jjoo bar.’ You suck on it while eating, so that’s what we called it.”
“Ah, I see. Enjoy. I bought plenty.”
“Alright, everyone, ten-minute break!”
At Jang Sang-gu’s announcement, the staff cheered and sought shade, taking advantage of the short rest.
Doyun sat with Jang Sang-gu on a chair outside an unopened pub, relaxing for a moment.
“Is Jeongdongjin cooler than here? I mean, sure, the sandy beach must be hot, but at least you get a refreshing ocean view.”
“I suppose so.”
Then, Doyun shifted the topic.
“Director, could I take a look at the schedule that Director Lee prepared, not the one I made?”
“Oh, this one?”
Jang Sang-gu handed him the schedule, his brows furrowing.
“Typical broadcasting station nonsense. No thought about efficiency—they just scatter locations all over the place. But what can we do? If the top says so, we follow.”
“Aren’t we the top?”
Doyun glanced at Jang Sang-gu and the sweat-drenched staff working tirelessly, while Lee Beom-un was probably off messing around somewhere.
He was clueless that his actions were leading him to his downfall.
“Hah! Us? The top? Well, if thinking that way makes you feel better, sure.”
Jang Sang-gu wiped his sweaty face with a towel, his expression darkening.
“But seriously, three days of consecutive shooting in Hyehwa-dong? What kind of madness is that? Lately, the residents have been throwing salt at film crews the moment they spot them.”
“…Well, Director Lee insisted on filming there. Not our problem, right?”
“That’s not all. How the hell are they planning to shoot a midnight bicycle scene at Bukak Skyway? Are they trying to get arrested by the Capital Defense Command?”
“They must enjoy getting detained by the police.”
Doyun chuckled, knowing that Lee Beom-un had already been taken in by the police in Jeongdongjin.
Jang Sang-gu burst into laughter.
“Hah! Is that so? Seriously, what is that guy even thinking?”
Doyun studied the schedule for a moment before asking:
“Director, may I make a copy of this?”
“Go ahead. I already sent a digital copy to our assistant director.”
“Thanks. Want another Jjoo-jjoo bar?”
“Another one? Wait, is this a bribe?”
Jang Sang-gu joked, but Doyun remained serious.
“Yes.”
“…A Jjoo-jjoo bar? A bribe?”
“You might have to do a night shoot soon. Probably by tomorrow.”
Jang Sang-gu froze mid-bite, the frozen bar stuck to his lips.
“A night shoot? Why?”
“Because Director Lee won’t be able to film in Hyehwa-dong.”
His expression darkened.
“That’s bad. We need at least the first two episodes finished for review by next week.”
“Which is why you’ll be getting busier, Director Jang. Off the record, the Hyehwa-dong Residents’ Association has started banning unauthorized filming.”
With Hyehwa-dong closed off, they needed a new location.
For a mini-series, once a filming site was set, it couldn’t be changed mid-series.
That was why Doyun had secured Anguk-dong in advance.
“Damn, does that mean we need to find a new spot for Yeonwoo’s house and the convenience store?”
“That’s right. But don’t tell Director Lee just yet.”
“Because I ate your Jjoo-jjoo bar, huh?”
“Naturally.”
“Damn, Did I just take a 500-won bribe?”
“350-won. I got a discount.”
“You little—!”
Jang Sang-gu snatched another Jjoo-jjoo bar and smacked Doyun’s shoulder with it.
“Haha! I’ll treat you to something better later.”
“I already feel refreshed—chilled to the bone, actually. Wait, does this mean we might actually become the top?”
“Exactly.”
***
Meanwhile, in Hyehwa-dong
“Who the hell are you to block this street?”
Lee Beom-un and his crew were at a standoff with the Hyehwa-dong residents.
The Residents’ Association had blocked the unauthorized filming team from entering.
“Just let us shoot for today, and we’ll get permission next time. I’m an MBS director.”
“I don’t care if the MBS chairman himself comes—get out!”
The residents’ firm refusal made Lee Beom-un’s frustration boil over.
If today’s shoot was canceled, the actors’ schedules would be completely thrown off.
He had to finish the shoot no matter what, so he shoved the residents’ representative aside.
“What, did you buy the whole damn street?”
“Who the hell do you think you are, talking down to me?!”
“And why the hell am I the only one not allowed to shoot here when everyone else does?! This is bullshit!”
“Because every other idiot thought the same way, and now we’re sick of it! You guys ruin our nights with your crap!”
As the situation escalated, someone had already called the police.
Soon, officers pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.
“Sir, we received a complaint. Please come with us to the station.”
“I’m an MBS director! Stopping me from filming is violating freedom of the press! Do you want this on the news?!”
At his reckless shouting, an officer reached for his baton.
“If you interfere with law enforcement, we can arrest you for obstruction.”
The police had already been briefed that a conflict might arise between the residents and the filming crew.
They had been patrolling on high alert and, seeing the situation escalate, acted decisively.
And so, just days after getting detained by the police in Jeongdongjin, Lee Beom-un found himself being escorted to the police station.
“Unbelievable.”
Seo Dongjin, who had been watching from inside the van, smirked as he saw Lee Beom-un being shoved into a police car.
“Why does law enforcement always have to step in when this guy screws up?”
***
That Night – Hyehwa Police Station
A sedan pulled up in front of the Hyehwa Police Station, and Oh Youngguk stepped out from the back seat.
“Lee Beom-un.”
The moment Oh Youngguk spotted him sitting on a bench inside the station, his face twisted in irritation.
“D-Director Oh, why are you here…”
“So, I heard you were throwing MBS’s name around? If it weren’t for Kim PD, this would’ve been all over KBC’s 9 o’clock news. Just what the hell were you thinking?!”
“Kim PD?”
At that moment, Lee Beom-un felt his blood run cold.
“That bastard must have tipped off the Residents’ Association, the police, and the reporters.”
It didn’t take long for suspicion to turn into certainty.
“That bastard deliberately blocked my shoot! This is all because of Kim PD, that damn bastard!”
“Lower your voice. What are you so proud of?”
Oh Youngguk was not his usual, gentle self who was kind to his juniors.
Getting detained by the police was one thing, but insulting residents and dragging the broadcasting station’s name through the mud was another level of disgrace.
At Oh Youngguk’s icy expression, Lee Beom-un swallowed his complaints and kept his mouth shut.
A while later, after signing a written pledge promising not to cause further disturbances, Oh Youngguk vouched for his release, and Lee Beom-un was finally let out.
Once outside the police station, Oh Youngguk took a deep breath, trying to calm his rising anger, before speaking.
“Where are the staff?”
“…They’re all waiting.”
“I don’t know why you suddenly changed the filming location, but I’m not letting this slide. Write a report and start shooting immediately.”
“W-where?”
“Where else? The original location—Anguk-dong.”
“I don’t want to shoot in Anguk-dong.”
There was no way Lee Beom-un was going to film at the location Kim Doyun had chosen.
“You can’t just reject it without reason.”
“Uh… We can shoot in Ahyeon-dong instead.”
Lee Beom-un suddenly thought of Ahyeon-dong, where he had lived during his university days.
‘It’s all the same—just another multi-family residential area. It’ll be better to shoot there.’
He quickly took out his phone and called the assistant director.
“Hey, it’s me. Move the crew to Ahyeon Station. We’re filming there today.”
“Hey, Beom-un. Have you even visited that place recently?”
“I used to live there in college.”
“And when was the last time you actually went back?”
Having not visited since graduation, Lee Beom-un had no answer.
Watching his stubborn attitude, Oh Youngguk ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
“Mini-series aren’t like short dramas. Once you shoot in a location you don’t like, you’re stuck with it until the series ends.”
“…What about Sangah? Did you come straight here from her? Are you staying at the office again tonight?”
Whenever he found himself cornered or scolded, Lee Beom-un would bring up Sangah.
Sangah was Oh Youngguk’s biggest weakness, and he had carefully nurtured their connection for moments like this.
But this time, the reaction was different.
A chill settled over Oh Youngguk’s expression.
“Now I finally see your true colors. I’ve been a fool.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“It was two years ago when my ex-wife and your cousin took Sangah on a trip and dragged you along as a luggage boy, right? Sangah called you ‘Uncle’ and followed you around, so I felt grateful.”
But after the music campfire trip, he finally understood.
The reason there was a wall between him and Sangah wasn’t just circumstances—too many people had gotten between them.
It had happened multiple times—his private matters with Sangah would somehow leak to his ex-wife, causing petty arguments.
And now, Beom-un was trying to use Sangah to manipulate him.
This couldn’t continue.
“Bringing up Sangah to manipulate me won’t work anymore. I already did more than enough for you by getting Ma Gitae to film your short dramas.”
“W-why are you acting like this all of a sudden? That’s cold.”
“Cold?”
The only emotion Beom-un should have right now was guilt—or shame.
“Do you think we’re friends?”
Glaring at the clueless and unapologetic Beom-un, Oh Youngguk ordered him to submit a written report, then got into his sedan and left without another word.
“Damn it! Why is nothing going my way?! This is so damn frustrating!”
Lee Beom-un grabbed his hair in frustration.
***
“So, you’re saying you couldn’t film?”
Han Jiseon’s sharp voice echoed through the office.
– The dog kept barking nonstop. We just couldn’t shoot. I’m sorry, writer.
The voice on the phone belonged to Hyun Woosik, who had recently become Lee Beom-un’s assistant director.
He was reporting that they failed to shoot the outdoor scene for Yeonwoo’s apartment in Seoul last night.
“Why was the filming location suddenly changed? And why am I hearing this from the assistant director instead of the director himself?”
– He didn’t sleep all night. He’s out looking for a new location right now.
“So, when is the shoot happening? The review deadline for Episodes 1 and 2 is coming up—when are you going to film?!”
– So, we were thinking of adjusting the script…
“You’ve lost your mind. I’m hanging up.”
They were asking her to modify the script just because they couldn’t shoot the night scene and wanted to move it to a studio instead—but Han Jiseon wasn’t about to entertain such nonsense.
After firmly hanging up, she turned to look at Kim Doyun, who was sitting across from her, reviewing the draft script for Episode 5.
“Kim PD, do you have supernatural powers or something? How do you keep predicting things so accurately?”
Just as Doyun had predicted, Beom-un had screwed things up and was now begging for a script change.
It was so eerie that it gave Han Jiseon goosebumps.
“Want me to make another prediction?”
“Go ahead, quickly!”
Even Lee Seulgi and Ham Dajeong, who had been researching, paused to look at him.
Doyun crossed his legs, smirked, and said:
“Director Kang Juhwan will be newly assigned to our drama, and I will be promoted to production PD.”
“Wow!”
Lee Seulgi and Ham Dajeong blinked in amazement.
The confidence in Doyun’s voice made it sound like a foregone conclusion.
“But changing the director isn’t that easy.”
At Han Jiseon’s remark, Doyun simply shrugged.
“It’s not impossible, either.”
—
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