I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 78:

Chapter 78

MBS Drama Department.

“PD Yu, come on, don’t be like that. Why don’t you take on the next project?”

“No, Director, please be reasonable. All the works I’ve done so far have been mini-series. And now you want me to do a historical drama, a serious one at that? What if the ratings don’t come out this time? Are you going to send me to the Variety Department like Ji-yong? Or worse, are you trying to send me to the countryside?”

“No, why are you bringing up Ji-yong all of a sudden? That kid dug his own grave, you know. I gave him more production budget and a decent time slot for the youngest PD, but who would have thought he would mess it up so badly. He was the one who said he would pack his bags and leave if he ruined the response with his own ideas. Did you expect him to fail so miserably? He had it coming, so there’s nothing we can do. I heard he did a pilot for the Variety Department and it turned out pretty well.”

I opened my eyes wide. I was a famous producer.

“What do you mean, I have to stay in the variety department? When the ratings were good, I was your darling, but when they dropped, you just tossed me aside. Where else would you find such a scapegoat? It was my mistake to be greedy from the start. Our drama department is the only place that would make the youngest producer take the bullet for the ratings flop and banish him to the variety department.”

“Hey, do you think I wanted to make you the scapegoat? But how could I stop your seniors from rushing to the director’s office? These days, they would even submit petitions, but they don’t have the slightest bit of conscience. Your upperclassmen are the problem.”

“I can’t do historical dramas, even if I die. So please talk to the other seniors, or find someone else to take the bullet this time.”

“Hey, hey, Yu PD―!”

Famous PD stormed out of the director’s office as soon as he finished talking.

The drama director raised his voice, but Famous PD didn’t bother to look back.

Inside the drama department’s partition, there were many eyes glancing at Famous PD. With a clenched jaw, Famous PD left the drama department and headed to the rooftop of the broadcasting station.

‘Damn it.’

The broadcasting world was a jungle. And the drama department was no different from a world of survival of the fittest.

Famous PD couldn’t stand the bitter taste in his mouth and lit a cigarette. He had quit smoking for a long time, but he couldn’t resist it now.

The reason why the drama director kept urging me to do a historical drama was simple.

‘Are you scared of KBC and can’t produce anything?’

Historical dramas were usually reserved for veteran producers. But those veteran producers acted as if they had conspired together and refused to take on any historical drama projects. The reason was simple.

KBC, the traditional powerhouse of historical dramas, had scheduled a grand historical drama at the same time slot as the one planned by MBS. It was obvious that they would lose miserably in ratings and buzz.

-Minha, please. We are in a time when we have to be careful of even falling leaves.

-If we make even a slight mistake this time, we’ll lose our chance to become CPs. This is our last opportunity, but you, Myunghan, have many more ahead of you. If you get a bad evaluation from this project, your career as a PD is over. Over.

-To be blunt, we’re like mayflies, but you, Myunghan, have a long way to go. Don’t you think it would be good to broaden your genre range by taking on a historical drama this time?

Like any other company, there are factions within the drama department.

The worst of them are the senior PDs under Yoo Myunghan.

They are all on the verge of becoming CPs, but they are no different from parasites that feed on the MBS drama department.

They have little creative freedom and narrow-minded thinking.

They hesitate to take on historical dramas, fearing that it might damage their careers.

It was a problem that they were so obvious.

They were also the ones who sidelined the youngest PD. I was furious.

“Hey, Yoo Myunghan.”

As I was heading to the rooftop, I ran into Seo Sang-yeon, a famous colleague of mine and a CP of the Variety Department.

He was a rising star in the Variety Department, having become a CP much faster than anyone else.

“What are you doing here at this time? Isn’t it time for the Variety Department’s weekly meeting?”

“Wow, you’re well-informed about other people’s business. The director went on a business trip today, so we wrapped up the meeting quickly. As for me, I had some spare time, so I came up here to enjoy the fresh air and read the newspaper. But what about you? Did your drama director give you a hard time again?”

“How did you know?”

“It’s obvious. It’s written all over your face. You look like you want to quit and leave right now. Why is your drama department like that? You’re a talented guy, you know. You shouldn’t let them get to you. It’s all because they got rid of the EP and made the director the next in line after the CP. They’re treating you like a toothless tiger already. I feel sorry for you.”

Originally, the drama department was a place where the director had absolute power. But since the current director was retiring with honor next year, the drama department of MBS was now under the control of the CP of the first team, who wielded absolute power and had the famous seniors under his influence.

They were practically the real power behind the scenes.

“How is Jiyong doing?”

“You should think about your future. I’d love to stay with you, but he’s planning to leave for the drama department as soon as he launches this pilot. The problem is that your drama department doesn’t recognize talent at all. Hey, why don’t you try to make a big impression this time?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Frankly, what can’t you do that your senior colleagues can? You’ve been hitting jackpot after jackpot since you debuted with a mini-series. If you look at the results, you’ve built up more than those guys in the past few years. You’re not lower than them, if not higher. Why don’t you take on that historical drama or whatever and prove yourself. Maybe you’ll become a CP before your seniors.”

Just then, the youngest PD of the entertainment department ran up to the rooftop.

“Seo sunbae, the director is looking for you!”

“What? I thought he was on a business trip!”

“He canceled it! Hurry up. He’s furious that you finished the weekly meeting in ten minutes!”

“Damn it!”

Seo Sangyeon handed the newspaper in his hand to Yoo Myunghan and ran off. He didn’t forget to show him a clenched fist as a sign of encouragement. On the empty rooftop, only the cigarette smoke made faint clouds.

“You can do it.”

At that moment, Yoo Myunghan’s eyes caught the headline of the newspaper that his colleague had given him.

***

[The Resurrection of Playwright Jeong Yongdae at the Korean Theater Festival!]

[The Korean Theater Festival, Where the Glorious Past Returns!]

[Actor Jang Young-guk, Not the Nation’s First Love Anymore, But a Theater Actor in Front of the Public.]

[Stage Director Seong Jihun, ‘I’ll Show the Best Direction After Five Years of Reclaiming the Stage’.]

[The Chairman of the Korean Theater Association, ‘It Will Be the Best Theater Festival Ever’.]

As the Korean Theater Festival approached, articles poured out like a flood.

It was so much that the chairman of the Korean Theater Association himself came out and gave an interview. How amazing was that?

And the theater team that Young-guk belonged to was no ordinary one.

Not only did the actors who had dominated the theater scene in the past reappear, but also the rookie actor who had stirred up the nation with the title of ‘nation’s first love’ last year was cast as the lead.

At that time.

“Young-guk, a little more wistful expression!”

He tried his best to make his expression match the photographer’s request.

Even though the movie shooting was over, Young-guk was still wearing a black gown.

The reason he had come to Mullanri in Chungcheongbuk-do so early in the morning was for the poster shooting.

“Good, very good!”

Most movie posters were made based on the scenes that were shot during the movie shooting. But since the poster craze hit Chungmuro a few years ago, many changes have been tried.

It was to use various concept posters instead of just one poster for a movie.

Thanks to that, the photographers were the ones who suffered.

Young-guk knelt down and prayed, wearing a black gown.

The willows with long necks looked at him with a whine.

In the midst of the misty water, the photographer’s flash went off repeatedly.

“I’ll check the photos I took for a while. Take a break for thirty minutes!”

The photographer and Shin Seonghyeon, the director, checked the photos.

He also came to the reservoir in Chungcheongbuk-do with Young-guk early in the morning.

The director’s expression was bright, as if he liked the photos.

“Director Shin, you look happy.”

“Happy or not, the editing is going well and the poster will look great today. I feel good these days. By the way, Young-guk, I’ll let you hear the theme song that Director Choi made when you go back to Seoul. It’s very well done.”

“You already finished the song?”

“On the first day of shooting, Young-guk said he was inspired by your acting and started working on it right away. I heard that Director Choi Yul always finishes his work on time, but I didn’t expect him to finish it so soon.”

“Really? I’ll stop by his studio later. But Director, can I try to make a poster shooting plan? Just one layout?”

“I don’t mind, but what do you have in mind?”

Young-guk felt that the poster shooting was dull. It was understandable, since in the future, poster shooting would involve professional staff who would work together from the beginning of the film shooting, but it was different now.

Moreover, the photographer was a novice who had not done much poster shooting, so he did not seem to want to try anything different.

“I want to use the reservoir. Kim Moo-jin drowns the villain in the reservoir, right? So, I thought, there’s a hand sticking out of the reservoir, and Moo-jin is holding it.”

“A hand?”

Young-guk’s idea was soon used for the poster shooting. But rather than using poor SFX (special effects) to show the hand, it was better to have a person go into the reservoir and show a lively hand. But the hand couldn’t be too pretty or young.

The person who was executed by the young priest was none other than a middle-aged villain. In the end.

“Young-guk, we have to finish quickly.”

“Just trust me.”

Director Shin Seong-hyun went into the water himself to play the role of the hand in the reservoir.

It was a spring day, so it wouldn’t be as cold as winter, but it would be cold enough to chill his bones.

Amid the misty water, the willows were swaying, and the young priest knelt in front of the reservoir, holding the hand that came out of it.

It looked like he was saving the person who was begging for his life in the reservoir, or like he was pushing him back into the reservoir.

The young priest held the hand that came out of the reservoir and made a dry expression.

As if he was praying for him.

***

After finishing the poster shooting in Chungcheongbuk-do, Young-guk reluctantly came up to Seoul. He wanted to have a bowl of nourishing soup with Director Shin Seong-hyun at a chicken soup restaurant near the reservoir, but he didn’t have time. It was because of the lottery for the Korean Theater Festival.

‘It’s been a while.’

Young-guk went to the Korean Theater Association with Director Lee Chang-hoon. The Korean Theater Festival lasted for four days, and a total of 16 theater groups performed four times a day. The order was determined by drawing lots, and traditionally, the lead actor drew the lot himself.

“Who is Jang Young-guk, that he’s causing such a fuss. The media is going crazy, and I heard he’s an actor who’s never been on a proper theater stage.”

“Park hyung, don’t be like that. I heard that thanks to Jang Young-guk, the tickets for this theater festival sold out. There’s even a rumor that they’re increasing the seats. It’s good for us, right?”

“What do you mean, the tickets sold out because of him. Don’t talk nonsense. This is the Korean Theater Festival, a theater festival with a long history. How can you say that it’s a hit because of him. And what about Jung writer? Isn’t he past his prime? I heard he was desperate. He’s making a comeback with a rookie as the lead.”

The auditorium of the association was already filled with the lead actors and directors of other theater groups. They were all established actors who had never left the theater scene.

“That Lee Chang-hoon guy too, he has some pride. He should never look back if he left the theater scene because it didn’t pay. He’s like a bat, clinging to the broadcasting station and then to Chungmuro. What a disgraceful thing to do! He’s so bad that he lost the lead role to a junior. His old fame is all empty, isn’t it?”

As he listened, he heard someone speaking harshly. It was Park Sang-cheol, an actor whom Young-guk also knew. He was famous for being tough on his juniors in the theater scene. As Young-guk was about to step forward, Lee Chang-hoon grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.

“Ahem.”

As Lee Chang-hoon coughed and appeared, the actors who were gathered around looked around and bowed their heads briefly. Actor Park Sang-cheol didn’t even greet him and passed by with a glance. The theater scene was like the army, where the seniority between seniors and juniors was strict. Especially since actor Park Sang-cheol was a few years younger than director Lee Chang-hoon in terms of career.

‘He doesn’t even treat him as a senior.’

He had already left the theater scene, and he didn’t even treat Lee Chang-hoon as a senior.

As proof, actor Park Sang-cheol kept sending unpleasant glances at Young-guk and Lee Chang-hoon.

That’s when it happened.

“Actors who are gathered in the auditorium, we will soon decide the order of the stage performances.”

As the staff of the association appeared, the actors who were murmuring gradually quieted down.

That’s how important the order of the stage performances was.

Since it was a performance that could only be done once, the order was as influential as the quality of the theater.