NOVEL WEB Chapter 30 - A Troublesome Matter
Chapter 30: A Troublesome Matter
TL: Aniea
[Title: Did you see the pre-release posters for this drama?]
: I’m not usually the type to look for these things, but since Coffee Guy is so famous, I checked it out. The villain vibe is insane. I can’t even make eye contact with him in the photo.
└ Right? No matter how you look at it, he’s the main character, lol.
└ The actor playing the main character isn’t bad, but it feels like he’s a bit out of his league or something. There’s something missing.
└ [Info] Both are rookies.
└ How can you say he’s a rookie? He didn’t seem out of place at all in the photo with Kim Young-ho.
└ Agreed.
When information and pre-release posters for <Peaceful Chaebol Life> were simultaneously released on the TvM homepage, the community went wild.
The role of Kang Woo-ju, which had been surrounded by rumors, was finally revealed. People were divided over the fact that he was not the main character, but the villain.
└ Well, he never really had a kind image to begin with.
└ But that doesn’t mean he has a bad personality. Last time, when a confession relay broke out at a cafe, he apologized for the commotion and bought coffee and desserts for all the tables.
└ Right. He doesn’t talk much, but it seems like he’s never caused harm to anyone. So I naturally thought he’d be the main character.
└ How do you fill the audio with a character like that as the main? lol
└ Just add a chatty supporting character.
Fortunately, no sides were taken, and no fights broke out. Most people just expressed their eagerness to see the drama and asked if the airing date could be moved up.
└ But looking at the plot, it feels like Kang Joo-heon is obsessed with the female lead. Why isn’t there a couple shot of them? Isn’t that usually the main thing?
└ The Kang In-ho & Jung Ha-rin combo usually only takes individual or group posters. The romance is just a part of the whole story.
└ But there are a lot of couple shots of other characters?
└ I don’t know either.
Haah-
Kang In-ho sighed deeply as he watched the community’s reactions after the information was released.
A dedicated community for <Peaceful Chaebol Life> was created in real time and even made it to the rankings.
Reporters, who had received the materials in advance, and various SNS leakers were eagerly waiting to release articles, leading to a great boom.
“Haah···.”
“Why do you keep sighing?”
“Do I look like I wouldn’t be sighing right now? Look at this, if we had just released the photo of Kang Woo-ju and Park Soo-bin together, it would have been twice, no, three times more chaotic than it is now!”
Kang In-ho clenched his fists in frustration. Jung Ha-rin looked at him in disbelief and shook her head.
After Kim Eun-ha had visited, the two had a long discussion and decided not to release the couple shot of Kang Woo-ju and Park Soo-bin.
“Should we post it now!?”
“I’m going to tell CEO Kim Eun-ha-nim.”
“She herself said she wouldn’t interfere with our work! Even when we asked if we could use the poster, she said to do as we see fit.”
“She meant to handle it well. You saw the CEO’s mood then. Oh, look at this. Just imagining it gives me chills!”
Jung Ha-rin suddenly rolled up her sleeve and showed her arm to Kang In-ho. He quickly backed away in surprise.
“···W-What are you doing!?”
“What do you mean? I’m just showing you the goosebumps on my arm. Are you really tired these days? You’re overreacting a lot.”
“It’s because of you.”
“······.”
Jung Ha-rin suddenly pressed her lips together tightly at Kang In-ho’s words. Feeling embarrassed, he raised his voice.
“What, why are you silent now? It makes the atmosphere weird.”
“Sigh, forget it. Anyway, I need to get to work now.”
“Already?”
Kang In-ho raised the end of his sentence regretfully. Seeing his honest reaction, Jung Ha-rin’s lips twitched involuntarily, but she firmly nodded her head.
“If we’re going to start filming next week, time is tight. Although we’ve prepared up to episode 5, there are many scenes that need to be filmed in advance depending on the location.”
“As a director, I can’t argue with that.”
It’s easy to think that dramas are filmed in order from the first episode, but in reality, they often shoot episodes out of sequence.
Especially when filming in locations like museums or private estates. Since you never know how situations might change later, they try to film as many scenes as possible at such locations all at once.
Fortunately, Jung Ha-rin’s tendency to stockpile as much script as possible before diving into a project meant that despite the tight schedule, they had some breathing room.
“And there’s one more problem.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“I think we need to make significant revisions to the script.”
“Hey-!”
Kang In-ho shouted in frustration. However, Jung Ha-rin, having anticipated this, had already covered her ears with both hands, so she wasn’t much affected.
“Why?”
“We start filming next week; where do we find the time!? Besides, even if we submit the current script to a blind contest, it would win! It’s good enough as it is!”
“But what can I do? I got a feeling.”
“Damn it. Of all times…”
Kang In-ho rubbed his forehead in frustration. He even sighed in resignation, looking up at the ceiling.
Having worked with Jung Ha-rin multiple times, he knew all too well how maddening her “feeling” could be.
‘Last time, she got the feel and suddenly flew to Japan and was unreachable for a week.’
New scripts arrived punctually every day, so filming wasn’t disrupted, but it was a nerve-wracking habit.
Despite similar incidents in the past, the reason Kang In-ho continued to work with her was simpler than one might think.
‘Because the results are good.’
Scenes that she overhauled after getting her inspiration always turned out to be huge hits.
Even lines and scenes that seemed doubtful during filming became some of the most beloved and memorable moments once they aired on TV.
Therefore, Jung Ha-rin’s declaration that she “got a feeling” was both a blessing and a curse for Kang In-ho.
Once the switch was flipped, it was impossible to change her mind. The best course of action was…
“To what extent?”
“About 80%?”
“Hey-!!”
“Ugh, I’m not deaf, you know!?”
“So, please, just tell me. Why? What don’t you like that you want to overhaul everything!? You know we’re right on the brink of filming!”
Seeing Kang In-ho’s desperate expression, Jung Ha-rin felt a bit guilty and her momentum waned slightly. However, her words remained as unreserved as ever.
“Actually, it’s the opposite.”
“The opposite? Wait, you don’t mean…”
“Yeah, probably what you’re thinking. I got the feel from watching Kang Woo-ju. But, of course, I don’t mean changing the main character! Just increasing his prominence a bit?”
“A bit is 80%?”
“He was already a lead with lots of screen time, but if the character changes, so do the attitudes and actions of the other characters who interact with him.”
“Oh, my goodness…”
What on earth is up with Kang Woo-ju?
That thought momentarily flashed through Kang In-ho’s mind. Ironically, his well-honed instincts as a broadcaster told him to trust Jung Ha-rin.
Just like the community reactions he’d seen earlier. In truth, Kang Woo-ju’s overwhelming presence was a concern.
‘The problem is that he overshadows all the other leads.’
Aside from veteran actor Kim Young-ho, everyone seemed overwhelmed by Kang Woo-ju’s presence. Some even appeared to feel a sense of awe.
This cannot be allowed.
From the start, <Peaceful Chaebol Life> revolved around fierce power struggles and mind games among the chaebols.
‘…At least Park Soo-bin seems to have somewhat overcome it.’
Since the last shoot, it was clear that every time she saw Kang Woo-ju, she displayed open competitiveness. It was almost as if she had truly become the female lead of the drama.
It would be great if the other rookie actors could awaken like that, but the truth is, that’s nearly impossible.
As Director Kang In-ho fell deep into thought, Jung Ha-rin squinted her eyes and asked in a subtle tone.
“Actually, you also want to change the script too, don’t you?”
“…Absolutely not. If we change the script now, Dong-gyu will grab me by the collar and throw a fit. How am I supposed to handle his temper? And what about the other staff and the actors who have already memorized the script?”
“But you’re still going to do it, aren’t you?”
“I’m not doing it.”
“Your face says you’re already wavering.”
“…”
Smirk-
She smiled victoriously at the silent Kang In-ho. Having worked with him for a long time, she could roughly tell what he was thinking just by his expression.
“Can you do it?”
In the end, Kang In-ho surrendered. Jung Ha-rin nodded with a serious look in her eyes.
“I’ll churn out at least up to episode 3, even if it means not sleeping until the shooting day.”
“Don’t do that.”
“You know me. I can do it!”
“I know. You’re a capable writer. But last time you did that, you were bedridden for several days. So just work diligently at a reasonable pace.”
“…”
“There were plenty of times in the past when we shot with scripts written on the day of filming. We have enough leeway with two episodes. I’ll handle the actors and staff somehow.”
“Director…”
Kang In-ho started to quickly organize his tasks, shaking his head as if he had no choice.
He waved his hand in the air without even looking at her, as if to hurry her along.
Thanks to that, he didn’t see it.
The incredibly gentle smile on Jung Ha-rin’s face.
* * *
“There are no issues. However, I probably won’t have time to go pick up the script myself.”
– I intend to send it to you via message first…
“Messages are vulnerable to security breaches.”
– The first episode primarily focuses on explaining the lead characters, excluding some extras. More importantly, I have absolute faith in actor Kang Woo-ju!
“…It’s sudden, but if the director deemed the script change necessary, I’ll trust and follow him.”
– Thank you for understanding.
“Yes. Then.”
Click-
After hanging up the phone, I sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling for a moment. My mind was flooded with various thoughts and emotions that needed sorting out.
“…I’ve already memorized the whole script.”
Ah-
A sigh escaped me involuntarily. It was like finding out the night before the test that the range covered was chapters 4 to 6, not 1 to 3, which I had memorized diligently.
Although I was confident in memorizing scripts, it didn’t mean I was completely free from stress.
“You seem to be in some trouble.”
Swoosh-
At that moment, Kim Eun-ha quietly walked up from behind and placed a teacup in front of me. I expected it to be coffee, but today, surprisingly, it was black tea.
“It’s hot, so drink it slowly.”
“Thank you.”
I drank the black tea she had made for me, trying to sort out the emotions that arose. Naturally, she sat across from me and started drinking tea as well.
“Maybe it’s thanks to the tea. I’m calming down faster than I expected.”
“You recover quickly.”
“It’s just that I’m resilient. I’ve often faced much worse hardships. In fact, ever since meeting you, I’ve been incredibly lucky.”
“You always say such nice things.”
Kim Eun-ha shook her head with a smile. Then, she slowly savored her tea, taking her time. I also picked up my teacup.
The tea had a unique, slightly astringent yet pleasantly nutty aftertaste. I wasn’t usually a tea person, but I might start enjoying it more often.
As I took another sip, Kim Eun-ha set down her teacup and spoke.
“Then, I’ll just speak plainly. I have a blind date arranged for this weekend.”
“Cough, cough-!”
Her sudden revelation completely caught me off guard. In my effort to avoid spraying tea at her, I choked on it, and the tea went down the wrong pipe.
While I was coughing and spluttering, Kim Eun-ha quietly enjoyed her tea, calmly savoring it.
******
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