WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Potter
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Why Do My Dramas Keep Becoming Hits!? ◈
Chapter 19: We Need to Raise the Stakes (1)
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“Great work, everyone! You all worked hard!”
“You too, sir!”
The atmosphere, which had been as urgent as if a bomb had dropped, changed in an instant.
The relief of safely finishing the first take had made everyone this friendly.
But I alone could not blend into this warm mood.
Why was everything going so well? This was not what I had wanted when I pulled this stunt.
‘The whole world is screwing me over...’
Without realizing it, I looked resentfully at one man.
Do Jae-hyun, the unknown actor who had just devoured the set with his insane acting skills.
The man who had always been alone was now surrounded by actors and staff, chatting with them about this and that.
‘Ugh... What happens to my plan now?’
I had planted a bomb, expecting him to be nothing more than a pretty face with terrible acting. What kind of twist was this?
Why was he good? Why was an actor that good stuck bouncing from one extra role to another, branded as useless and unknown?
Seriously, stop confusing people.
As I tried to settle my troubled thoughts, Do Jae-hyun's restless gaze stopped on my face.
“Writer! There you are.”
He soon stood before me, bowed deeply, and spoke in a booming voice.
“I've said it before, but I felt I needed to thank you again.”
“...”
“Thank you so much. I was really about to quit acting, but thanks to you... I got this amazing opportunity because of you.”
That burdensome gratitude made my insides burn, but what could I do?
When you thought about it, this actor had done nothing wrong. He had simply bet his life on the precious opportunity that had finally come after seven years and given it everything he had.
I forced down my bitterness and patted Do Jae-hyun on the shoulder.
“It was nothing. You got the role because you're a good actor, Jae-hyun.”
“No, that's not it! I got this opportunity because you believed in me and pushed for me, and I was able to act without mistakes thanks to your advice... Ah, sorry. I suddenly got choked up...”
Do Jae-hyun's voice sounded thick with tears.
Don't cry. I'm the one who really wants to cry.
But perhaps unaware of how I felt, the staff around us watched Do Jae-hyun and me with wistful eyes.
This was driving me crazy.
I calmed him down before he could burst into tears of emotion and quickly changed the subject.
“So, Jae-hyun, have you officially been confirmed for the role of Han Tae-yoon?”
At my question, Do Jae-hyun nodded fiercely like a big dog wagging its tail.
“Ah, yes! The director told me to come to the broadcasting station annex later. He said we'd sign the official contract!”
“Really?”
A contract.
At that word, an idea flashed through my mind.
So he had not signed yet? Then there was still a chance to stop this.
I pretended to think for a moment, then spoke in a grave tone.
“Hmm. About how much did they offer you per episode?”
“My fee?”
“Yes. You need to be careful with contracts. The broadcasting station bastards might try to lowball you because you're an unknown actor without an agency.”
At my discreet question, Do Jae-hyun glanced around before cautiously whispering his per-episode fee.
After hearing the amount, I exaggeratedly furrowed my brow and clicked my tongue.
“What? That's all? Tsk, that's way too little. Is tvM really that cheap?”
“What? No! Compared to extra pay, it's an unbelievably high amount...!”
“Come on, Jae-hyun. You're not an extra anymore. You're a lead. You deserve to be treated accordingly.”
I put on a serious, firm expression and cut him off.
“Listen carefully, Jae-hyun. Exactly double the amount they offered. Don't sign anything unless they pay you double.”
“N-no. How could someone like me dare accept that much money? I'd be grateful just to be allowed to do it for free...”
“What do you mean, someone like you? You more than deserve it. Have some confidence. Honestly, even asking for double would still be letting them off cheap.”
I gave an impassioned speech, making every excuse I could to somehow wreck this contract.
“So when you go into that meeting, if they try to lowball you even a little or pull any tricks, don't hesitate. Get up and walk right out.”
“B-but what if they really cancel the casting...?”
“Don't worry. I know a lot of production companies. If things don't work out, I'll introduce you somewhere else. Got it? Don't act like you're the one begging. Act like you're the one in charge.”
Please don't sign that contract. Please let it fall through.
It would be better for your acting career too. Appearing in a drama that was doomed to fail would only stain your filmography.
My advice was packed with such earnest, impure wishes.
“Ooh...”
Suddenly, strange exclamations rose from around us.
When I turned my head, I saw the staff packing up equipment looking back and forth between Do Jae-hyun and me with admiration in their eyes.
“Wow... What are you, Writer?”
“...? What do you mean?”
People gathered and murmured quietly.
“He'd go that far for a complete stranger.”
“There are still people like that in this harsh world.”
“Jae-hyun is so lucky. I'm jealous.”
Those and other similarly mistaken remarks flowed from their mouths.
‘...Damn it. This is insane.’
But the true disaster was right in front of me.
“W-Writer...”
Large tears began to drip from Do Jae-hyun's eyes.
“Huh? Why, why are you like this? Why are you suddenly crying?”
“After struggling in this industry for seven years... Sniff! This is the first time something like this has happened, so...”
Do Jae-hyun kept choking up, unable to finish his words.
This was truly driving me insane. I was the one who wanted to cry, so why was he crying?
“Back then, people treated me worse than a bug... No matter how hard I worked or struggled, no one recognized me, and they only cursed at me for getting in front of the camera...”
“...”
“Whenever it seemed like things might work out, I was stabbed in the back, and everything fell apart... I thought I was just unbelievably unlucky. But...”
With bloodshot eyes, he stared directly at me and spoke in a voice overflowing with emotion.
“I think all those seven years of hardship were paying off my bad luck... I think I went through those trials in life so I could meet a wonderful benefactor like you...”
“...No, that's not it.”
“Sniff... Thank you. Thank you so much, Writer.”
Do Jae-hyun's eyes were already shining with boundless loyalty and intense goodwill toward me.
“Thank you, Writer...! You value me and care for me this much. I can't ever let you down! I'll devote everything I have to this for you, Writer!”
The staff around us watched with warm, satisfied smiles, apparently touched by the tearful story.
But I, standing at the center of that heartwarming scene, was crying tears of blood and screaming inside.
‘No, fuck! If you care about me, just don't sign the contract!’
Please.
I was letting out that desperate internal scream when it happened.
“W-Writer!”
“?”
The assistant director's urgent voice rang out like a thunderclap from one corner of the peaceful set.
He came running over and thrust his phone toward me.
“This is bad! Look at this!”
“What? What is it that...?”
The instant I saw the assistant director's phone screen, my body froze without my realizing it.
#
A few hours later.
Unlike the cheerful mood at the filming location, the outside world was in complete uproar.
With the news of lead actor Baek Kang-min's departure, malicious articles about the unknown actor suddenly brought in to fill his place poured out like a waterfall.
[Exclusive] Was tvM in a Rush to “Erase Baek Kang-min”? Total Novice Extra Brought in as Replacement... Netizens Criticize Reckless Move
[Issue] Who Is Do Jae-hyun? “Parachute Casting”[1] Controversy Ignites as Unknown Actor Joins Major Drama Near Launch
[Roundup] Unknown Actor Cast One Hour After Baek Kang-min's Departure... tvM Silent Amid Suspicions of “Sponsor and Higher-Up Intervention”
Sensational headlines filled portal site front pages and became fodder for netizens, causing public opinion to snowball in an instant.
Once tvM's Drama Bureau recognized the seriousness of the situation, it immediately called in everyone responsible and convened an emergency meeting.
And now, in the large conference room of tvM headquarters' Drama Bureau.
A suffocating silence had settled over the room, seeming to weigh down the air itself.
“...”
Footage from the shoot was playing on a laptop on the table.
There was no music, and the audio was still raw in this rough on-site edit, but the performances of the actors going wild onscreen overwhelmed all those technical limitations.
Soon, the video on the laptop ended and stopped playing.
Yet none of the people in the conference room could open their mouths.
The source of that suffocating silence was one person.
Tae San-hyeok, tvM's Drama Bureau chief and its most powerful figure, sat at the head of the table, silently staring at the laptop screen.
“...”
PD Woo Young-taek, the lead director, felt as though his lifespan was being shaved away second by second.
Sure, by his standards, it was an incredible shot.
But Bureau Chief Tae had not moved a muscle, let alone offered a comment.
From the beginning to the end of the video, he had only stared at the screen with an indifferent expression.
‘I'm seriously dying here...’
Woo Young-taek was suppressing his tension when a low, dry voice suddenly tore through the silence.
“Team Leader Park.”
The head of the public relations team, Park Byeong-ho, quickly turned at being called.
“Yes, Bureau Chief.”
“How is the situation developing?”
“We've completely cut ties with Baek Kang-min's side for now. We released an official statement about his departure and pushed out a follow-up article saying we had brought in a replacement actor and begun filming an hour ago. However...”
The public relations team leader swallowed dryly before continuing.
“The public's focus has completely shifted from Baek Kang-min to the replacement actor. As expected, the reaction is terrible. All kinds of speculation are pouring out, from sponsor rumors to claims of parachute casting, because we put an utterly unknown newcomer in a lead role. Right now, the top trending posts in online communities and on social media are completely filled with issues about our drama.”
“So the traffic has definitely exploded.”
“Yes. If we only consider buzz, the numbers are exceptionally high for a drama that has not even aired yet. The problem is that all of that buzz comes from negative issues. If we leave this noise alone, an anti-fandom will form before the launch. Damage to the drama's image will be unavoidable.”
At those words, everyone's expressions grew complicated.
As feared, the public, unfamiliar with the name Do Jae-hyun, could not simply accept him.
They had tried to cover up the risk posed by Baek Kang-min's drinking scandal, only for a new risk, accusations of parachute casting, to explode in their faces.
“Hmm...”
Bureau Chief Tae quietly spoke as he folded his arms.
“So. What do you think, Team Leader Park? What should we do?”
“I believe we need to issue an official statement as soon as possible explaining the circumstances of the casting, along with additional measures to calm the controversy.”
“...Is that so.”
Silence followed again. The only sound filling the quiet room was that of a hard surface being struck.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Bureau Chief Tae habitually tapped the armrest of his chair.
And when he had done so five times.
“My thoughts are a little different.”
“Pardon?”
He slowly turned his head.
His sharp gaze swept across the people seated in the conference room.
“Since there is already noise around it, don't force it to die down. Leave it alone.”
“Pardon?”
“No. It would be better to make it bigger.”
The people around him all wore startled expressions.
But Bureau Chief Tae, as though he had no concern for their confusion, casually shifted his gaze to the laptop screen.
“Hmm. I think we should keep pushing forward with him.”
The paused image on the screen.
At its center was the intense gaze of the unknown actor now at the heart of every controversy.
Footnotes:
[1] Parachute casting: Korean industry slang for a role thought to have been secured through powerful connections rather than merit.
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