Chapter 29: The Cunning Assistant Director

“Seriously, Assistant Director, where did you even manage to pick up such a clumsy person? We need to make sure they’re properly trained.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure they learn their lesson.”

The Assistant Director grinned foolishly, as if nothing could faze him. The lighting team staff shot Yeon-ho a look that clearly said they were letting it go for the Assistant Director’s sake, then turned and left.

“Phew. They might speak a bit harshly, but they aren’t truly bad people.”

The Assistant Director whispered, his lips barely moving, like a ventriloquist.

“Oh, right…”

“It’s true, though.”

The Assistant Director scratched the back of his head.

“Everyone’s just sensitive right now because of the shooting schedule delay, but normally, they’re really warm-hearted and kind.”

Yeon-ho could understand the first part of that statement, if not the second. Anyone would feel a rising anger if an actor, not even a lead, failed to show up on set for three hours. Not that it excused lead actors from being late, of course.

Yeon-ho wondered why the Assistant Director was telling him all this. If he were an applicant for a staff position, he might have assumed it was to prevent losing a potential ‘s*ave.’ However, Yeon-ho was neither an applicant nor anything more than an intruder on the set.

“Could we talk for a moment?”

The Assistant Director gestured for them to step outside. Yeon-ho eyed him suspiciously, wondering what his ulterior motive might be.

However, seeing him tear open another energy drink and gulp it down with red ginseng, Yeon-ho decided it was probably fine to follow. While one shouldn’t judge people solely by their appearance, this man lacked the typical two-faced demeanor of those in broadcasting, and he seemed to have no energy left to plot anything devious.

Stepping outside, the Assistant Director put a cigarette to his lips, then, with a look of sudden realization, pulled a business card from his pocket.

“My apologies for the late introduction. I’m Kim Jin-woo, the assistant director.”

Yeon-ho hesitantly accepted the card. He wasn’t particularly eager to introduce himself. Yet, with the other person having offered his name first, it felt awkward to remain silent.

“I’m Seo Yeon-ho. I don’t have a business card.”

“Students usually don’t have them.”

Yeon-ho almost corrected him, about not being a student, but decided against it. There was no reason to reveal such personal details to a stranger.

“Want a smoke?”

“Yes.”

Yeon-ho accepted it without hesitation. When talking to strangers, having a cigarette often made things more comfortable. It allowed for natural pauses, preventing silence from turning awkward.

In truth, there was another reason Yeon-ho accepted the cigarette. He preferred menthol, and the one Kim Jin-woo offered was indeed menthol. After days of smoking harsh, unpleasant cigarettes, he finally had a chance to enjoy one to his liking.

A wave of satisfaction washed over him as the cool menthol scent flowed down his throat. As he savored a couple more drags, he felt a gaze. Glancing sideways, he saw Kim Jin-woo observing him with the sharp, discerning eyes of an audition program judge.

‘So, even if he seems clueless, he’s still a broadcasting professional after all.’

As Yeon-ho debated whether to show his discomfort, Kim Jin-woo stared intently at Yeon-ho’s tattoo and muttered to himself.

“It’s certainly big.”

“What is?”

“Ah, your height. You’re tall.”

‘That sounds like a lie.’

Yeon-ho distinctly felt Kim Jin-woo’s gaze fixed on his tattoo. However, knowing that pointing it out would only make the atmosphere awkward, he simply played along.

“I’m just average. Everyone’s tall these days, aren’t they?”

A hint of sadness flickered across Kim Jin-woo’s face.

“Does that mean I’m not average…”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant. It’s just that there are so many tall people around these days… I meant I’m not *that* tall, relatively speaking! Han Tae-young, the lead actor in *Cold Reading*, is incredibly tall, too.”

Having unintentionally landed a blow on Kim Jin-woo, Yeon-ho stammered in embarrassment. Kim Jin-woo wasn’t actually short; he was above average height, but Yeon-ho’s tongue had simply gotten away from him on such a sensitive topic.

“You know Han Tae-young?”

“…Of course. Who doesn’t know Han Tae-young? And the drama they’re filming here today features Han Tae-young as well.”

“Oh, you watch *Cold Reading*?”

“Yes, well. I generally know the plot.”

Yeon-ho averted his gaze, his answer deliberately vague. Given his current state, saying he had watched it or hadn’t watched it could both be considered lies, making this the safest response.

“I see. Have you ever met Han Tae-young in person?”

Unwilling to answer, Yeon-ho responded to the question with another question.

“Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering how you knew Han Tae-young was tall.”

“You don’t need to meet someone in person to know something like that.”

‘What is with this guy?’

A sense of wariness began to grow in Yeon-ho.

‘Could Tae-young have told him about me? Said there was a rider out for revenge, and to keep an eye out around Moonlight Flower?’

‘This is paranoia.’

The chances of Tae-young knowing about the filming at Moonlight Flower were slim. Actors were typically only concerned with their own shooting locations, not where or when other scenes without them were being filmed. Some even moved solely at the direction of their managers, unaware of their own shooting sites. Moreover, Tae-young’s arrogant personality made it unlikely he would engage in private conversations with staff.

‘If it’s not because of Han Tae-young, then why is he trying to probe me like this? Does he perhaps know I used to be an idol?’

As a myriad of thoughts swirled through his mind, Kim Jin-woo offered a harmless smile and spoke.

“You’re right, Yeon-ho. You can tell Actor Han is tall just from watching him on screen. By the way, what brings you here?”

Right. Whether Kim Jin-woo was probing him or not, that wasn’t important. Yeon-ho recalled his purpose for visiting Moonlight Flower and replied.

“I came to retrieve something I left in the backroom.”

Kim Jin-woo nodded repeatedly and extended a portable ashtray. Yeon-ho gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, then flicked his ash.

“Did you tell the owner?”

“No. I tried to, but they weren’t answering their phone. Do you happen to know where the owner is? They weren’t on the second floor.”

“They’re out right now.”

Yeon-ho asked, a look of knowing resignation on his face.

“They didn’t go far, did they? Did they say when they’d be back?”

“They went to a wake for a merchant association member’s grandmother. They left about 40 minutes ago, I think?”

A feeling of dismay washed over Yeon-ho’s face. Attending a wake would take at least three or four hours. It seemed unlikely he would retrieve his samples today, yet Yeon-ho asked, clinging to a sliver of hope.

“Is the backroom door open, by any chance?”

“It’s locked.”

‘I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.’

Yeon-ho let out a long sigh, deciding it was time to leave. Kim Jin-woo watched Yeon-ho’s resigned expression for a moment before speaking.

“But the owner left the backroom key with me.”

Yeon-ho’s head snapped up, his eyes asking, ‘Why are you telling me this now?’

“Don’t look at me like that. I have the key, but I can’t just let you take something from inside. For all I know, Seo Yeon-ho, you could be lying about it being your item.”

Upon hearing this, Yeon-ho understood Kim Jin-woo’s perspective.

“Look, then, could you just check if the item I’m looking for is in there? I don’t need to go in.”

Yeon-ho made the request, knowing Kim Jin-woo might refuse. It was a small favor, yet from Kim Jin-woo’s standpoint, there was no reason for him to help at all.

“I think I can do that much for you.”

Fortunately, Kim Jin-woo nodded without any sign of reluctance.

“What item are you looking for?”

Just as Yeon-ho was about to answer, a man who appeared to be in his late forties opened the shop door and stepped out.

“Jin-woo, where are you?”

“Yes, Director! I’m right here!”

Kim Jin-woo raised his hand high to signal his location. The man addressed Kim Jin-woo by his first name rather than as ‘Assistant Director,’ suggesting he was likely PD Go Woo-seung.

“Let me have one, too.”

PD Go Woo-seung descended the stairs, forming a scissor shape with his index and middle fingers. Kim Jin-woo politely took out a cigarette, placed it between PD Go Woo-seung’s fingers, and even lit it for him.

PD Go Woo-seung puffed on the cigarette like a whale, exhaling a long sigh.

“We’ve made contact with Baek Hwi-kyung’s agency.”

“They finally found out where he is?”

Life returned to Kim Jin-woo’s face, which had been as withered as a crop afflicted by pests. But the moment PD Go Woo-seung spoke again, that spark of vitality ebbed away like a receding tide.

“He’s apparently passed out in a hotel with Writer Sung.”

“So, Writer Sung Shi-hyuk’s influence was behind this, after all.”

Kim Jin-woo muttered, disappointed but not surprised, and rubbed his eyelids. The squeaking sound was so loud it made Yeon-ho worry his eyeballs might pop out.

“Yes. Baek Hwi-kyung, that kid, has been late countless times, but he’s not brazen enough to outright skip filming.”

“Writer Sung, you made Baek Hwi-kyung disappear and ruined today’s shoot because you didn’t like the location, didn’t you? You had a different shop you were pushing for.”

Yeon-ho’s eyes widened, and he held his breath, wondering what absurd talk this was. It felt as though he had fallen into the midst of an uncontrollable, insane vortex.

“Yes. The place Writer Sung insisted we film at was his friend’s shop.”

“Director, I really don’t understand. How can someone of your age… no, not that. How can you not distinguish between public and private matters?”

Kim Jin-woo almost swore, then caught himself, refining his words. It didn’t seem to be out of consideration for Yeon-ho.

‘The Director is on his side now, but he’s probably guarding his words because he doesn’t know what might happen later.’

It seemed Kim Jin-woo had been so excited by the news of finding Baek Hwi-kyung that he momentarily forgot Yeon-ho’s presence.

“He boasted to his friend about promoting the shop, and now it’s fallen through, so he’s probably losing face. When you get old, you really start to value your reputation.”

“Even so, this is just too messed up. I completely understand wanting to mess with us. But what if the broadcast gets cancelled because of this? Does Writer Sung not care if the episode gets pulled?”

“Because he knows we’ll find a way to make sure it doesn’t get cancelled.”

“What?”

“That man isn’t stupid. No, he’s chillingly cunning. He calculated that we could avoid cancellation if we just threw ourselves into it.”

“…Ha, seriously.”

Kim Jin-woo dry-washed his face, looking as though he desperately wanted a drink.

“I guess we’ll have to withdraw for today. I’ll send out a notice to everyone that we’re wrapping up filming.”

It was then, as Kim Jin-woo let out a sigh that seemed to drain the earth and raised his phone again, that PD Go Woo-seung waved his hand emphatically.

“No, don’t.”

“What? Why? Aren’t we withdrawing?”

“Let’s at least get Hee-jun’s shots before we withdraw. If we film them, they’ll be useful somehow. We can stitch them together during editing.”

Yeon-ho, who had been quietly lurking in the corner, involuntarily perked up his ears. Hee-jun was an undercover agent, like the protagonist Bae Da-ro, infiltrated into the organization by the police.

“Hmm, most of Hee-jun’s scenes for today are with Moon-gyu.”

Kim Jin-woo pulled out his notebook to check, then scratched his head with a pen.

“We’ll need someone to read Moon-gyu’s lines off-camera. Should I do it?”

Go Woo-seung made a ‘tsk’ sound and changed the subject.

“Even if we cut him later, I’d like Moon-gyu to be in the frame.”

Moon-gyu was Baek Hwi-kyung’s character name. PD Go Woo-seung’s insistence on having Moon-gyu in the frame meant he wanted them to find a stand-in.

“I’ll look for an extra who has similar specs to Baek Hwi-kyung.”

Kim Jin-woo, who understood his superior’s cryptic words perfectly, nodded.

“Why look far away? This kid has a similar height and build to Baek Hwi-kyung.”

PD Go Woo-seung pointed at Yeon-ho.

“He’s an extra, right? Which agency’s rookie is he?”