Chapter 45: The First Filming Set

Regardless of East or West, in the past, one could tell a person’s social class just by looking at their clothes.

It’s common knowledge that the lower your status, the shabbier and more unimpressive your attire, and the higher your status, the more luxurious and splendid your clothing.

In modern society, where people firmly believe that classes and social strata have disappeared, fashion instead differs by profession.

Developers who graduated from engineering colleges wear plaid shirts or black turtlenecks paired with New Balance sneakers, while those working in advertising wear white dress shirts and uniquely colored cotton trousers.

Even freelancers take pride in expressing their individuality through unique styles.

If modern fashion serves to represent a person’s identity, what about assistant writers?

Regrettably, there is no such thing as “drama assistant writer fashion.”

Their daily outfits serve no special purpose beyond covering the body for warmth and protecting the skin—hardly different from the jobless and unemployed.

The usual fashion sense of Jeong Tae-mi and Im Seong-hee, working at The Shop officetel, the so-called sacred ground of drama writers, was no exception.

Recently, ‘the genius author who wrote Twin Love, pioneered a new genre with Macho Restaurant, and expanded her reach into shocking makjang dramas with Ma Bok-soon, blah blah blah.’

As the first two people recruited into Lee Jeong-hyeok’s squad, they were so busy each day that the hassle of dressing up was put aside, and they just wore whatever as they wrote scripts.

Scratching her nape with one hand and scrolling down with the arrow keys with the other, Jeong Tae-mi was watched by Im Seong-hee, who spoke up.

“Tae-mi, when did you put on those clothes?”

“Wednesday.”

“I see. Go home and change today, and stop scratching yourself so much.”

“I will, if I can.”

Surprisingly, today was Wednesday.

While supporting the script work for Macho Restaurant and Ma Bok-soon and simultaneously working on the newly started joint project “Co-writing,” these two had been basically living in the studio for an entire week, losing track of time.

Of course, they couldn’t exactly blame the main writer, that genius author of Twin Love, blah blah.

‘That person hasn’t left his room for over two weeks already.’

After promising a bright future and encouraging everyone to write hard, Lee Jeong-hyeok’s level of reclusive performance had reached new heights compared to before.

Every now and then, when Im Seong-hee opened the door to bring him some food, she would see him sitting at his laptop, writing like a madman, making her feel nothing but resentment toward him.

“Speaking of the author…when does that person ever take a break? Seriously.”

“He took a break last time when he collapsed and went to the hospital. Seriously.”

“He was writing even in the hospital room. Seriously.”

“……Yeah. Seriously.”

You’d think he could at least set an example and say, ‘Let’s take a break for a bit,’ but without a word, he just kept writing endlessly, making it impossible for the two to rest.

While the two of them were enduring this dark reality in pursuit of a brighter future—

Screech—

Accompanied by a creepy door hinge sound, the oblivious one finally stepped out into the world.

And, it wasn’t the usual tracksuit, but actual decent clothes.

“Author? Don’t tell me you’re actually going somewhere?”

When Lee Jeong-hyeok, who’d practically sold his soul to become a writing machine, opened his mouth awkwardly, it sounded like scraping metal.

“I’m going to the filming site…to Ma Bok-soon’s set.”

“……I see.”

If it’s not too much trouble, could you take us with you?

The words reached their throats, but the two, who knew it was common sense that only the main writer visits drama shoots, suppressed their envy and just bowed their heads.

“Yes, understood.”

Watching Lee Jeong-hyeok’s figure standing weakly at the front door, the two could only smack their lips bitterly.

‘If I go to Ma Bok-soon’s set, I might see Kim Hee-soo in person.’

‘I heard Oh Chang-yeol is even more handsome in real life.’

As those thoughts trailed behind, and the two sat back down, Lee Jeong-hyeok turned around and asked,

“Oh, right, you two. You’ve never been to a filming set, have you?”

He stared blankly at them and then spoke.

“If you have time, would you like to come along?”

“Ah!”

At that moment, Im Seong-hee’s evaluation of Lee Jeong-hyeok was updated in her mind.

From the oblivious guy, to the oblivious but kind author.

As the sun began to set, the evening glow dyed the Han River a brilliant crimson.

With Im Seong-hee and Jeong Tae-mi sitting in the back seat, I was driving along the Gangbyeonbuk-ro.

Though rush hour meant I couldn’t speed down the road, being out after so long made even the exhaust coming in through the open windows feel refreshing.

Looking in the rearview mirror, I saw the two in the back busily rummaging through their makeup pouches.

Claiming it was a waterless shampoo, they patted white powder onto each other’s scalps, so even at the risk of inhaling rush hour exhaust, I had no choice but to keep the windows wide open while driving.

“Author, please, if you have these kinds of schedules, tell us in advance.”

“Exactly! How can we show up at a filming set with no clothes or makeup on?”

“Ahem, sorry. I just always go as I am…I thought it’d be fine.”

“Yeah, right!”

The two shouted “Yeah, right!” in unison, then went back to fiercely sharing makeup and primping their faces.

Personally, I think as long as a writer writes well, that’s all that matters—who cares about appearances?

But right now, at least, we were nothing more than mere humans hoping to do the bare minimum grooming before meeting celebrities.

After an hour crawling down the jammed Gangbyeonbuk-ro, we finally arrived at Seongsu-dong, Ma Bok-soon’s first filming location.

Originally a neighborhood filled only with leather workshops and car repair shops, Seongsu-dong had become, in modern times, one of Seoul’s hottest spots for pop-up stores, full of tourists from around the world and young people flaunting vibrant fashion.

Among them, today’s filming location was in front of the Seongsu branch of Dior, a luxury brand whose building was a modern revival of the original Dior House that opened in Paris in 1946.

Usually, getting permission to film near a luxury brand store is quite difficult.

But was the follow-up to last year’s hit , and with a cast full of Korea’s top stars, getting filming cooperation from Dior was comparatively easy.

‘And being Ten Entertainment surely helped. Truly worthy of Korea’s top studio.’

After parking in the space arranged by Dior, I got out of the car, and one of the assistant directors from Ten Entertainment came running over to greet me.

“You’re Author Lee Jeong-hyeok, right?”

“Yes, I got held up by traffic and am a bit late.”

“No, you’re right on time. We’re currently filming, so if you’d wait in the actors’ waiting room, I’d appreciate it.”

Led by the assistant director, we went over to an area lined with big, darkly-tinted vans, with tents pitched between them like a campsite.

Inside one tent, Kim Hee-soo was surrounded by a swarm of stylists and staff, tidying up her makeup after finishing her scenes.

“Oh my, Author Lee, you’re here today too!”

“Yes, since it’s the first shoot, I thought I should at least stop by and say hello.”

“How thoughtful of you. But who are those behind you?”

Behind me, Im Seong-hee and Jeong Tae-mi hovered awkwardly, unsure whether to greet or stay silent, so I introduced them.

“They’re the authors who help me with the scripts.”

“Oh, so you’re the assistant writers, how lovely to meet you~”

“Yes, technically they’re assistants, but from now on they’ll be co-writing the next projects with me, so I thought I’d bring them along for introductions.”

Perhaps encouraged by my introduction, the two, though clearly nervous, bowed repeatedly in front of Kim Hee-soo.

“Ah, hello, Ms. Kim Hee-soo. I’m such a fan.”

“M-me too! You’re even more beautiful in real life.”

“Thank you, I’m glad you both came. Please, have a seat. If you’re co-writing with Author Lee, I’d better make sure to stay on your good side!”

Deeply touched by her words, the two had eyes that sparkled with emotion.

One of the quick-witted assistant directors brought coffee and snacks, setting them on the table, so we could comfortably linger on set.

“There’s a staff dinner after the shoot—of course you’ll both join, right?”

“Is it really okay for us to go?”

“Of course! If you’re part of Author Lee’s team, you’re basically my team too.”

“Thank you. We’ve been living like complete recluses lately, so we were worried about being a nuisance.”

At that, Jeong Tae-mi carefully glanced at Kim Hee-soo and asked,

“Ms. Kim Hee-soo, if it’s not too much trouble, could I maybe get a ph-photo or autograph later?”

“I’ll give you both! In fact, I’ll give you my number, too. But in return, when you and Author Lee make your next great drama, you have to contact me first.”

“Oh my, of course!”

As we talked with Kim Hee-soo, all sorts of people came and went.

When Oh Chang-yeol came by to say hello in person, Jeong Tae-mi and Im Seong-hee got so flustered and excited, their faces turned beet red.

“His proportions are insane. Seriously. How can a person be that perfect?”

“I know, right? I feel like I’ve used up all my luck for life today.”

With the two now not just adapted but completely thrilled to be on set, I slipped out of the tent and walked to a quiet spot, unlocking my phone.

Up until a moment ago, the nonstop vibration of messenger notifications had been bothering me, so I checked what was going on.

The group chat for “Macho Restaurant” had hundreds of unread messages.

It was a group including myself, Hong Joo-hee, and actor Park Hyung-jun, along with the main cast.

I couldn’t read them all, but the gist was:

-Our ratings are off to such a great start!

-The numbers are way higher than expected. Considering the genre, it’s a huge success.

-There are tons of articles, too—I’ll send the links….

And so on; everyone was buzzing about the positive reception for Macho Restaurant.

‘A 9% viewership for the first episode—not bad.’

Because I hadn’t really participated in the chat, a few people had tagged me directly in the middle of the conversation.

-It’s all thanks to you, everyone. I’m always grateful. Truly!

I left a brief thank you and headed back to my car, getting into the driver’s seat.

Then, using my phone’s banking app, I transferred generous bonuses to Jeong Tae-mi and Im Seong-hee.

Not long after, I received messages from both, having confirmed the transfers.

I quietly left a message in our three-person group chat.

-You two, go and enjoy the dinner party. And tomorrow, go home and get some good rest. Use the money for taxi fare, and treat yourselves to something delicious.

-Wow, this is a lot of money… What about you, Author?

-You’re not coming with us?

-No, I’ll go home and rest. I’ve already let the staff know about you two, so you’ll meet lots of great people.

Truthfully, the real reason I’d brought them to Ma Bok-soon’s filming site today was for this.

‘Since we’ll be co-writing from now on, they need to start building their own connections.’

If I tagged along, they’d only end up watching my mood and find it harder to mingle, so I planned to bow out quietly.

-Oh, and don’t forget to finish your individual proposals by next week.

-…Author?

-Ah… okay… (screaming emoticon)

Of course, I didn’t forget my responsibilities as their boss.