Chapter 6: A Fleeting Respite

Since the PD also made intermittent appearances in the segment, it was typically assigned to a more experienced PD, but Team Leader Kim had let Yoonseo make his debut with this segment.

His reasoning was that Yoonseo had always accompanied the previous PD on shoots, and after that PD moved to another program, Yoonseo was the only one on the production team who knew the segment best.

Yoonseo worked tirelessly to not betray Team Leader Kim’s trust.

He also had a strong personal desire to do well.

Although it was a short segment, just over 10 minutes, Yoonseo, who had always wanted to be a travel program PD, couldn’t help but feel a deep affection for it.

That’s why he didn’t feel the hardship, despite taking on a segment that was twice as demanding as others due to frequent provincial shoots and on-screen appearances.

Last week’s broadcast had been a struggle due to a local government sponsorship that required them to meet various demands, but this week’s shoot seemed like it would be much more relaxed.

The filming location this time was a mountain village in Haenam, a place that took over five hours to reach even with non-stop driving on highways and national roads.

Yoonseo actually preferred it when the filming locations were mountain villages, remote areas, or island villages untouched by many.

Spending a night in a place where people lived by a different rhythm of time, a space they had cultivated themselves, allowed him to forget everything and laugh freely, if only for a moment.

Having not grown up in a city, he found these places more familiar.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Yoonseo checked the time on his phone before starting the engine.

4:30 AM.

If he picked up Jaehoon on the way and got on the highway, he should be able to arrive before noon, even with one or two leisurely stops at rest areas.

He had already contacted the village chief and set an appointment for 12:30 PM, so he had plenty of time.

“Please run well and safely this time too…”

A heartfelt mumble escaped his lips.

The old, used car, which he had bought by scraping together every penny he had, was already quite old, so it wouldn’t be strange if it broke down at any moment.

Yoonseo took a deep breath and was just about to start the engine when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

He thought the only person who would call at this hour would be Jaehoon, who was accompanying him on the shoot, but the caller was someone who completely defied his expectations.

However, it wasn’t a completely surprising person either.

It was someone who had already checked his schedule a few days ago.

“Hyung, what’s up at this hour?”

Yoonseo stopped the hand that was about to start the engine and greeted him with a warm, affectionate voice.

The other person responded with a laugh first.

It was his older brother, Yoonchan, who was seven years older than him.

– Soi woke up crying, so I’m wide awake too. Are you driving?

“No, not yet. I’m about to leave.”

As Yoonseo replied, he could hear the faint whimpering of a child.

It was undoubtedly the cry of his niece, Soi, who was not even 100 days old.

Yoonseo quietly listened for a moment as his brother soothed and calmed the baby.

It wasn’t long before it quieted down, and only then did he hear his brother’s voice again.

– Eat well even if you’re busy, don’t just pour coffee into an empty stomach, don’t drink too much, don’t overdo it, and rest if you’re sick.

“I know.”

– You’re good at answering.

Yoonchan repeated the same things every time he called, as if he never got tired of it.

Yoonseo chuckled lightly at the gruff chiding.

– Is everything okay?

Just as Yoonseo’s laughter subsided, Yoonchan asked casually.

This was also part of Yoonchan’s calling pattern.

He would ask about his well-being only after unleashing a torrent of nagging without even taking a breath.

Normally, he would have answered ‘everything’s fine’ without any hesitation, but a memory that flashed through his mind sealed his lips.

He had met Kim Injun and received help from Han Taekyung.

It was a time that deserved the label of ‘an incident,’ but Yoonseo swallowed everything down.

As always.

“…What do you mean, everything. Nothing happened.”

– That’s a relief. But are you getting any proper rest these days? You said it would get better once you became a PD, but it doesn’t seem much different from when you were an AD?

“No, it’s much better than before my debut.”

– But it’s still just as hard to see your face. If it weren’t for Mom and Dad’s death anniversaries, I’d probably never see you.

“…Sorry.”

As he replied in a barely audible voice, feeling ashamed, Yoonseo inwardly sighed in relief.

He was glad the conversation hadn’t turned against him.

If Yoonchan had found his slightly delayed response suspicious, he would have persistently questioned him about what had happened.

– Drive carefully. If you’re sleepy, make sure to rest.

“I will. You should get some more sleep too, hyung.”

– I should… Good luck with the shoot.

“Yeah. Thanks, hyung.”

After ending the short call, Yoonseo stared blankly at the screen where the call duration was flashing before letting out a heavy breath.

A sense of relief washed over him at having overcome another hurdle, but at the same time, a corner of his heart ached.

Yoonchan was a person who had sacrificed a lot for the sake of being the older brother.

Whether it was when he had to act as the head of the family after their father passed away, or when he had to cover the surgery and hospital bills for their mother’s sudden illness, or even after quietly fulfilling his role as the chief mourner at their mother’s funeral, he was the kind of brother who would pat Yoonseo’s head and tell him not to worry about anything and just study hard.

[Hyung: (Photo)]

[Hyung: Don’t drink this on an empty stomach haha]

Yoonseo let out a silly laugh at the coffee gift card Yoonchan had sent.

He could picture his brother saving the picture to give to him.

As much as he was grateful to Yoonchan, who always thought of him first whenever something good came up, he also felt just as sorry.

At some point, that feeling of sorriness had grown in volume and settled into a heavy emotion akin to guilt, but he never once showed it to Yoonchan.

Because the burden on his brother was greater than his own.

Because his brother now had a family to take care of, and he couldn’t add to his load.

Because if he showed he was struggling, his brother would be even more upset.

Because if his brother knew he felt guilty, it would hurt him even more.

So he always pretended to be okay.

He had to be okay, he had to appear that way, so it had long become a habit to smile no matter what happened.

[Thanks hyung, I’ll definitely eat before I drink it.]

Before the heavy feeling in his chest could suffocate him, Yoonseo quickly sent a reply to Yoonchan.

He tossed his phone onto the console as if throwing it away, started the engine, and steeled his resolve.

It was now time to put aside all distracting thoughts and focus on work.

“I’ve brought several blankets, so cover yourselves well. It gets colder at night in the mountains.”

“Thank you, Village Chief. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you!”

The village chief, her graying hair tied back in a neat bun, smiled warmly at the two of them.

She mentioned that it was the first time she’d seen such young men since moving to the countryside and that she liked how friendly they were, leaving with a promise of breakfast in the morning.

The village hall, which had been bustling with villagers just 30 minutes ago, now served as Yoonseo and Jaehoon’s lodging for the night.

Yoonseo stretched, tilting his stiff neck from side to side.

The fatigue that had been accumulating since dawn seemed to be crashing down on him all at once.

“Jaehoon, you can shower first.”

“Oh, I can shower later.”

“I need to talk to the writer for a bit.”

“Ah, yes! Understood!”

Jaehoon, who was quickly packing away the camera, responded promptly to Yoonseo’s words.

He immediately grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom.

Yoonseo watched Jaehoon’s always-tense back and let out a small laugh.

Yoonseo was about to take off his padded jacket but changed his mind and walked outside with just his phone in hand.

The heating in the village hall had been a bit too strong during filming, making him feel stuffy, and he wanted some fresh air.

As the village chief had said, the mountain air had a different kind of chill compared to the city, and his body instinctively hunched over.

After zipping up his jacket tightly, Yoonseo looked around and sat down on a bench right under a window, taking out his phone.

He first checked the messages he hadn’t been able to look at for nearly eight hours, as filming had started the moment they arrived in this mountain village without a moment to spare.

The group chat with all the team members was filled with messages sharing their respective schedules, and there was a message from Chaewon asking if the shoot was going well.

Yoonseo checked Chaewon’s message first and then called her instead of replying.

Chaewon answered immediately, as if she had been waiting for his call.

– PD-nim! Are you done with filming?

“Yes. I’m sorry, I was so busy I just saw your message now.”

– It’s okay. When you don’t hear from someone during a shoot, it means things are going well, right? How was it?

A cheerful voice flowed into his ear, making him smile.

Chaewon was one of the people who played the role of a mood-maker in the office.

Yoonseo tapped his foot and slowly answered Chaewon’s question.

“They were very cooperative, so we filmed most of what we needed today. Tomorrow, we’ll focus on getting some scenic shots, and if there’s nothing else to film, we’ll probably leave after lunch here. I think it’ll be evening by the time we get back to the office.”

– Then we’ll see you on Wednesday. I’ll be there by ten.

“Okay. I’ll email you the footage.”

– Okay. Well, hang in there a little longer. And let me know right away if anything happens.

Compared to last week, this week’s shoot was going very smoothly.

It helped that Chaewon was always meticulous during the research and casting stages, so there were rarely any problems on set, and the synergy was even better because most of the villagers were cooperative with the filming.

He briefly explained to Chaewon about the houses they had cast on the spot, which hadn’t been pre-arranged, and then ended the slightly long call.