Chapter 118: A Fatal Accident

The set of The Mugunghwa Flower Has Bloomed.

A massive studio was packed with staff members to film the death game.

In particular, more than 100 extras and stuntmen were required, and the addition of the staff members needed to lead them in an orderly fashion made the place truly overcrowded.

However, thanks to the professional Director Bong Chan-ho, who had experience filming The Snow Mountain Train, the set did not feel chaotic at all.

Along with ironclad security, the filming proceeded smoothly.

As usual, in a vast waiting area made of containers, extras gathered on one side while stuntmen gathered on the other to eat their meals.

Chu Kang-hyun, who had come as the stuntman for actor Park Sung-min, looked at his phone and let out a bored yawn.

His wide, gaping mouth felt just like his own sluggish life.

'Ah. This is so boring. I need an accident or something to happen so the dopamine can really start flowing.'

Chu Kang-hyun watched a 40-year-old stunt actor sitting next to him pick up a rolled omelet and asked, "Senior, I thought there would be many dangerous scenes since it's a death game, but this is easier than I expected."

"You really only know how to use your body. You didn't read the script properly, did you? There isn't much action originally, but it's a great script where the tension just explodes."

"We aren't even actors. We aren't going to do emotional acting, so why does the script matter?"

"I knew you'd say that. It's not common for such great actors and a good script to come together. This is a good opportunity to watch and learn."

"I know that. I mean, when else would I get to work with Director Bong Chan-ho?"

"Then be grateful. Stop grumbling."

"Che. Who's grumbling?"

"Last time, you said you were jealous of the guys over at The Traveler or whatever."

"Senior, honestly, what else do stuntmen have to show off besides flashy action? All we do is get shot and fall, run, and escape. That's it. Over there, the wire work is insane, and since the genre is a blockbuster, they’re practically flying around."

The stuntman for actor Song Jang-ho smacked the back of Chu Kang-hyun's head with a loud thwack!

"Ow! Senior!"

"Stop talking like a child. Even if flashy action scenes are how we make a living, the most important thing is safety. Earning money through safe work is the best."

'Hmph. You're only playing it safe because you're getting old and can't handle the rough action anymore.'

Chu Kang-hyun pouted and looked back at his phone.

He was about to ask a classmate from his stunt school who was working on The Traveler what they were filming today for some secondhand satisfaction when—

"Gasp!"

"What? What is it?"

Chu Kang-hyun froze as he stared at a headline in the portal's news section.

"Why? What happened?"

"An—an accident occurred."

"What kind of accident?"

"A stuntman died in an accident."

"What?!"

"On this day, a fatal accident occurred involving a stunt double during filming at a drama set near Paju, Gyeonggi Province. It is reported that while preparing for a car chase scene, a safety device failed, leading to this tragic accident. We now connect to reporter Woo Min-gu, who is on the scene."

"I am standing in front of the funeral hall for stuntman Ko Sang-young. Since this morning, a procession of broadcasting industry officials has been coming to pay their respects. The drama Mr. Ko was filming is a blockbuster original series being produced by Setflix, and the family of the deceased is fiercely protesting against Setflix."

"Following the death of stuntman Ko Sang-young, the Korea Broadcasting Actors Association has issued a statement urging a thorough investigation into the truth."

"Setflix has already completed legal compensation. Meanwhile, the production company, God Media, has posted an apology and expressed their condolences to the bereaved family."

"It has been four days since the death of stuntman Mr. Ko. Citizens also continue to pay their respects."

The three major broadcasting stations and every other media outlet were focusing their reports on the fatal accident involving the stuntman that occurred during the filming of The Traveler.

—Wow. In this day and age, someone still dies while filming?
—I heard the brakes failed; who's responsible for that?
—L Who said that? That the brakes failed?
—L My sister is a staff member on that set.
—L I heard it too. They said it was an unfortunate accident.
—L It’s the director’s fault for not managing safety properly;
—Why be a stuntman anyway? You chose your own fate.
—L The victim blaming is insane;
—I heard this was An Yoo-seok’s double. Shouldn't An Yoo-seok take responsibility?
—Why should An Yoo-seok take responsibility? If anyone is to blame, it’s the writer who wrote such a dangerous scene.
—L Right, next An Yoo-seok fan please.
—I knew that bastard Hyuk would cause trouble eventually.

Public opinion boiled over, not only in the comments of weekly articles but also in various online communities.

Whose fault it was, who should take responsibility—criticism and blame spread mindlessly.

In particular, An Yoo-seok and Lee Junghyuk, whose faces were well-known, became the biggest targets of criticism.

Before long, An Yoo-seok's fans swarmed in with an invincible shield, leaving him out of the discussion.

Since all of his previous works had been highly successful, Lee Junghyuk became a better target than Kim Seung-pyo, who was relatively less known.

The crucial question of why a writer should be blamed for an accident on a filming set didn't seem to matter much.

People on the internet were simply doing what they always did: mercilessly tearing apart whoever they could find to hate.

Furthermore, the negative public opinion against Lee Junghyuk that CL Media had built up until now played a role.

Lee Junghyuk looked through the criticisms and insults directed at him, one by one.

He had seen many negative reactions to his work before and had once felt he didn't need to look at them, but in this situation, he felt he had to examine everything and respond carefully.

Above all else, a person had died.

Regardless of who was at fault, the fact that someone had left this world because of a script he wrote struck him deep in his heart.

'If I hadn't written The Traveler, would this have happened?'
'How painful must it be for a parent to lose their child first?'
'What more can I do beyond what I am legally responsible for?'

It was agonizing and difficult.

"Writer, we've arrived."

It was Seo Sun-ae who woke Lee Junghyuk from his focus on the comments.

The place they had reached was the parking lot of the Setflix building.

It was the fifth day since the accident.

They visited the Setflix Korea office to discuss the incident with Setflix.

Kim Seung-pyo, who had arrived first, gave a short nod.

"Director. You don't look well at all."

"Yeah. Well. It’s expected."

"Phew. You need to take care of your health while filming is on hold. It’ll be a disaster if you fall ill too."

"Yes. I should."

Kim Seung-pyo rubbed his haggard face with his hands.

Lee Junghyuk felt he knew his heart even without asking, so he didn't inquire further about his well-being.

Before long, Jang Yeon-hee, the Team Leader of Production Team 2, entered.

The atmosphere was the exact opposite of when they had gathered for Grace Kim’s contract.

After a brief greeting, they got straight to the point.

"Legally, Setflix has taken every possible measure. In the event of an accident while working, we provide full compensation according to the headquarters' policy, and in the case of death, we provide consolation money. The company is also retrieving the vehicle involved to investigate the emergency braking system, so let’s wait for that. Public opinion is bad, but if we step forward and react, it might get worse, so this seems to be the best we can do for now."

"Yes. It’s an unfortunate situation, but let’s wait until the investigation is over."

Jang Yeon-hee and Seo Sun-ae quickly summarized the matter.

"Writer Lee. Do you have anything else to say?"

Team Leader Jang Yeon-hee asked Lee Junghyuk.

Lee Junghyuk, who had remained silent without much reaction until now, cautiously expressed his opinion.

"I hope we can create preventive measures to prepare for and avoid this in the future. We all know this accident wasn't specifically anyone’s fault... but since an accident like this has occurred, I’d like to see the treatment of stuntmen improved. Not just financially, but many of them suffer from minor illnesses and injuries, so I want to pay more attention to that area."

"In what way?"

"On God Media’s side, we plan to donate to a hospital associated with the Stuntmen's Association. When the writer suggested this and we passed the idea to the association, they welcomed it greatly. We’ve decided to take measures so that stuntmen who are injured or suffer from aftereffects during filming can receive treatment freely without even having to go through the association."

Seo Sun-ae added weight to Lee Junghyuk’s words.

"Ah. I hadn't thought that far ahead, but it sounds good."

"And the people around him must be having a hard time due to this accident as well. Since Setflix is handling the bereaved family, we will take care of the staff. We plan to have the staff who were on-site, as well as those who were close to him, receive psychiatric treatment."

"We would be grateful if you could take care of that. It's a good plan."

Kim Seung-pyo looked at Lee Junghyuk as he continued speaking.

He seemed like more than just the writer of this work.

"Then I will organize those points and brief the reporters."

"No. I don't want any part of what we're doing to leak to the media."

"Why?"

"A person died. Every single thing we do could, in some way, become a wound to the bereaved family. We must not make it known."

"I understand your thoughtful heart, Writer, but on the other hand, we have to conduct business."

"That’s right, Writer. I think we should follow Team Leader Jang’s opinion on this matter as well."

"No. I can't allow it."

Lee Junghyuk spoke firmly to Seo Sun-ae and Jang Yeon-hee, who were trying to persuade him.

However, Team Leader Jang Yeon-hee had no intention of backing down either.

Coolly speaking, the loss Setflix suffered from this accident was immense.

Since it was the first accident to occur in Korea, they had invested more capital than necessary to ensure a definitive response.

Moreover, the damage caused by the current suspension of The Traveler's filming was not small.

Returning to filming as soon as possible and completing the drama was the way to minimize the damage.

"Writer. Leave this part to us. We will state that you did it anonymously, but that it was inevitably revealed."

"That is a clever and political method, but I cannot allow it to be known even through such means."

"If you keep insisting on that, we cannot help but talk about the losses. You know it too, Writer. It will be difficult to resume filming for a while, and if things get worse, the launch might be pushed to next year depending on public opinion."

"In the worst-case scenario, the project itself could be scrapped."

Lee Junghyuk said, looking straight into Team Leader Jang Yeon-hee’s eyes.

'He knows that, yet he's still being so stubborn?'

Jang Yeon-hee could not understand why Lee Junghyuk was trying so hard to act like such a righteous person.

If the work didn't come out, the person who would suffer the most damage was none other than Writer Lee Junghyuk.

According to Setflix's regulations, the remaining half of the writer's guarantee was paid in a lump sum after the broadcast.

Furthermore, the guarantee paid according to the number of views was so astronomical that she almost suspected he was overlooking that part.

In addition, wasn't the production company for this work God Media, which Lee Junghyuk operated?

Their financial bleeding was as severe as Setflix’s.

For a sensible person, any means should be used to move the project forward, even if it meant a moral stance of looking out for the bereaved family’s situation became an issue.

"I am also making this suggestion while being prepared for a certain amount of financial loss."

"Phew. Well. I don't quite understand."

"Then let's do this."

"?"

"Give us one month. If the situation hasn't improved by then, I will follow your lead, Team Leader."

Jang Yeon-hee was now at a point where she had no idea what Lee Junghyuk was thinking.

He had already brought forward a matter that could mitigate this situation to some extent, so what more could he possibly bring?

But at the same time, she had an instinctive gut feeling that Lee Junghyuk might bring an even greater solution than that.

"Understood. Let's do that."