Chapter 144: Peerless Joseon (4)
“Cut!!! That was great.”
Director Park Se-yong shouted “cut” with the loudest voice of the day, clearly pleased with Jung Pil-gyu’s ad-lib.
“It’s finally over. Hey, you!”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“If you’re going to ad-lib, tell us in advance next time.”
“Ah… it just came out instinctively… I’m really sorry.”
Jung Pil-gyu bowed his head deeply and apologized at Shim Ji-young’s words.
“Really? Well, whatever—it was pretty good. Keep doing it like that from now on. If you do, you won’t have to worry about starving as an actor anymore.”
Shim Ji-young’s words carried multiple layers of meaning, but the biggest one was clear: if you get noticed for your acting in one of Kim Si-woo’s films, stardom is basically guaranteed.
“Thank you.”
As tears threatened to spill from Jung Pil-gyu’s eyes after receiving Shim Ji-young’s approval, Choi Seung-yong quickly grabbed his shoulder.
“Pil-gyu-ya. Getting acknowledged by that sunbae is seriously impressive.”
“Sunbae…”
When Jung Pil-gyu turned his head, tears were already welling up. Choi Seung-yong hurriedly stopped him.
“Hey, don’t cry. We still have more filming left.”
“Hup…”
Jung Pil-gyu desperately held back his tears with all his strength.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the children were chatting among themselves.
“So… you two are living with Writer-nim right now?”
“For now? After filming ends, I’ll go home, and Da-on will go back to the orphanage.”
“Mom…”
At the mention of Kim Si-woo living with the two of them, Park So-yul turned and looked at her own mother.
Park So-yul’s mother made a troubled expression.
“Um… So-yul-ah. That’s something Writer-nim decides. Mom can’t really do anything about it.”
“But still…”
Park So-yul no longer ignored or disliked Kim Da-on and Hong Soo-hyuk, but jealousy was unavoidable.
That was how desirable Kim Si-woo’s reputation was—even to a ten-year-old child in the film industry.
“Sigh…”
Seeing her daughter on the verge of tears from jealousy, Park So-yul’s mother eventually had no choice but to approach Kim Si-woo with a request.
“Um… Writer-nim.”
“Ah, yes. So-yul’s mother. Is something wrong?”
“Well… I feel really sorry and embarrassed to even ask this, but as a mother, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”
When Park So-yul’s mother spoke seriously, Kim Si-woo briefly worried that something serious had happened—until he heard what came next and broke into a smile.
“Could our So-yul stay at Writer-nim’s house too? She’s so jealous of them…”
“Ah… sure, why not. Does So-yul behave well?”
“Of course. And I’ll make sure to give her very strict instructions. If she doesn’t listen to you, feel free to kick her out anytime.”
“Then please prepare some clothes and daily necessities for her.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The thought of fulfilling her daughter’s wish made Park So-yul’s mother bow repeatedly to Kim Si-woo.
‘Well… two or three kids doesn’t make much difference. The kids will probably enjoy it too. And next time, it gives me a good reason to ask So-yul’s mom to watch them. It’s fine.’
After Kim Si-woo agreed, Park So-yul’s mother went home to pack her things.
In the meantime, Kim Si-woo looked after Park So-yul.
That day, after filming ended, Kim Si-woo returned home, received the luggage from Park So-yul’s mother, and entered the house.
“So-yul, you’ll share a room with Da-on. Da-on, show her how things work around here, okay?”
“Yes!”
Kim Da-on answered in a noticeably brighter tone, happy to have a new friend to live with.
“Alright, everyone—shower first.”
At Kim Si-woo’s words, Kim Da-on took Park So-yul up to the second floor, while Hong Soo-hyuk headed to the first-floor bathroom.
After showering, the kids got their hair dried, played with the cat for a bit, chatted together, and eventually fell asleep.
***
Filming continued smoothly after that.
Except for the fact that the actors were suffering.
Having to give their all every single take, they were inevitably losing weight.
Shim Ji-young dropped 5 kg, and some of the bigger-built actors lost more than 10 kg.
“I feel like my energy’s draining more and more as time goes on… Maybe I should do something for stamina recovery.”
“Yeah… Should I get some herbal tonics made for you?”
When Kim Si-woo brought up the topic in response to Shim Ji-young’s words, Kim Ji-hyun answered from behind instead.
“Writer-nim. I’ve been feeling really dizzy lately too. I think tonics would help…”
“Hey, why don’t you go away? Si-woo just said that to me.”
“Ah… Let’s not fight. How about we all go to an oriental clinic soon, get checked, and get some tonics prescribed? For today, I’ll talk to the director—let’s wrap filming by noon and go eat something delicious together in the afternoon.”
Kim Si-woo went to Park Se-yong, explained the actors’ condition, and asked if they could finish shooting in the morning. Park Se-yong readily agreed.
“I’ll book the restaurant.”
“Got it.”
“Then please check how many staff members are coming and let me know. I’ll handle the actors’ side.”
“Sounds good.”
Kim Si-woo asked the actors, while Park Se-yong asked the staff. Not a single person declined to join the group dinner.
“We’re going to have to rent out the whole place.”
Kim Si-woo found a restaurant specializing in oyster dishes—a popular winter stamina food—and made a reservation.
The restaurant staff was initially flustered by the large group, but once they realized how much money they were about to make, their panicked voices quickly turned into cheerful laughter.
“We’ll be there on time.”
After ending the call, Kim Si-woo informed everyone of the time and place, making sure the message reached all.
As planned, filming wrapped at 1 p.m. People quickly prepared to leave.
“Alright~ Oysters, here we come!”
The staff hummed happily, excited about the expensive oysters.
The actors, too, looked noticeably brighter after finishing early for once, and everyone headed to the restaurant.
An hour later, upon arriving, people began filling the seats in small groups.
“Auntie, two bottles of soju here please.”
“Over here too!”
The staff’s flood of orders left the restaurant workers scrambling, but the busier they got, the happier they seemed.
“Thank goodness Director Park Woong-deok isn’t here today.”
Those who had worked with Park Woong-deok before let out relieved sighs when they saw the relatively light drinkers.
And of course, the hottest seat was the one where Kim Si-woo sat.
In no time, famous actors, the director, and even Lee Yoo-jin—who was assisting him—had claimed spots around him.
Jung Pil-gyu hesitated awkwardly and ended up getting pushed out, finding a seat among the minor actors.
“Hello, sunbae-nim.”
“Uh… yeah, hi.”
Still not quite used to being called “sunbae” on set, Jung Pil-gyu smiled sheepishly.
Looking at the minor actors reminded him of his own early days, and he began to feel a sense of familiarity.
“Want a drink?”
“Thank you.”
Jung Pil-gyu poured for the minor actors and started listening to their worries.
Meanwhile, the usual rivalry was still going strong on the other side.
“Si-woo-ya, try this one.”
“Writer-nim, have a bite of this.”
Both actresses were trying to feed Kim Si-woo oysters with their chopsticks.
Everyone on set already knew the two women were interested in him.
It was an unspoken rule, however—no one spread rumors about it.
In this industry, starting a rumor could bury someone in an instant.
Before too many eyes could linger, Kim Si-woo quickly ate the oysters they offered and began pouring drinks for everyone’s glasses.
“Everyone, drink up.”
“Let’s go hard today!”
“Alright, before we really get started, how about hearing a toast from the director?”
At Kim Si-woo’s suggestion, Park Se-yong looked flustered, but the actors and staff immediately began chanting his name.
“Park Se-yong!”
“Park Se-yong!”
As his name echoed louder and louder, Park Se-yong stood up.
“Everyone, please fill your glasses with alcohol or drinks.”
At his words, people hurriedly poured soju and beverages into their glasses.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work so far. There’s still filming left, but tonight, let’s enjoy ourselves. You are all currently making a movie that will leave a mark on Korean cinema—take pride in that. So… *Peerless Joseon*, fighting!”
“Fighting!!!”
At Park Se-yong’s toast, people shouted and clinked their glasses, downing their drinks and beverages.
After that, the dinner party continued joyfully. As evening turned into night, one by one people got drunk, collapsed, or headed home.
“Then… I’ll be heading out now too.”
Despite having drunk a lot—fitting his large build—Jung Pil-gyu remained surprisingly sober. He came over to Kim Si-woo’s table to say goodbye.
“Let’s drink together again sometime.”
“Anytime.”
For a moment, Kim Si-woo felt curious.
If Jung Pil-gyu and Park Woong-deok ever had a drinking contest… who would win?
And with that, the dinner party ended safely.
***
Fueled by the momentum from the party, filming maintained its intensity right until the very end.
Everyone gave their all as if determined to finish strong. When shooting finally wrapped, Director Park Se-yong bowed deeply to everyone, declaring it the most satisfying production he had ever worked on.
“It’s finally over.”
Starting in early winter and ending only after spring had passed, the long shoot left a bittersweet feeling in everyone.
The elementary school kids returned to their respective homes and schools, while Kim Si-woo began commuting back to Siwoo Film.
“It’s already April…”
“And I’m thirty.”
“Congratulations, Writer-nim.”
Having started writing scripts at twenty-eight, Kim Si-woo—now thirty—wore a gloomy expression.
“Me… thirty years old…”
But he barely had time to feel the weight of turning thirty before he had to start preparing for his next film.
“Yoo-jin-ah.”
“Yes?”
“This movie—want to take it on?”
“Huh?”
“We had a promise, remember? Your commercial film debut would be with one of my projects.”
“Ah…”
For Lee Yoo-jin, worry outweighed joy.
“Do you really think I can handle it?”
“Hm?”
“What if I’m not good enough and end up ruining Writer-nim’s work…?”
Over the years, Lee Yoo-jin had learned from Park Woong-deok and many others, steadily building her skills and experience.
Among people in their twenties, she was undoubtedly one of the most capable.
Yet seeing her lack confidence, Kim Si-woo spoke candidly.
“If it flops… well, there’s nothing we can do about it. Maybe crashing and burning once wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
He said it partly to ease her pressure, but it was also how he truly felt.
After a streak of success without a single failure, people’s expectations had grown overwhelmingly high.
He enjoyed it, but at the same time… it had become a burden.
“No way… how can you say that…”
“Anyway. <An Unfortunate Girl and a Lucky Boy> is yours. If you’re anxious, I’ll try to bring in Park Woong-deok or some other famous directors as assistants.”
“Okay…”
In the end, Lee Yoo-jin accepted the role of director for <An Unfortunate Girl and a Lucky Boy>.
“It’s just time. You can’t stay a web drama director forever. Honestly, I already heard from Director Park Se-yong just how capable you are.”
After filming wrapped, Park Se-yong had praised her lavishly, saying the shoot had been incredibly smooth thanks to her.
He even went so far as to say she had the potential to surpass him—and even stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Park Woong-deok.
“Except for the female lead, pick whichever actors you want. I’ll do my best to make it happen.”
Kim Si-woo had no intention of holding back support for Lee Yoo-jin, who had trusted him, joined Siwoo Film, and worked faithfully as his right hand.
“Don’t worry about the budget either. Just focus on the movie.”
“Yes…”
“And for the time being, don’t handle any Siwoo Film work. Hand everything off to someone else quickly.”
And with that, Lee Yoo-jin’s commercial film directing debut officially began.
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TL Note:
This novel is now translated and finished at Chapter 176
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