Chapter 167: The Table is Set
The surrounding area fell silent in an instant.
No, it would be more accurate to say the atmosphere turned tense.
Things had been quiet lately, so why was this happening all of a sudden?
The staff member, frozen in place, sent an SOS to the producer.
He was the only one who could handle Cha Eun-seong.
“Uh, Eun-seong? What’s going on?”
The director asked, lowering his headset.
His voice was cautious.
The staff members, too, shrank back as if walking on thin ice. They’d heard the rumors of his antics and bad behavior. Anxiety crept in—today’s shoot might be ruined.
“I think this is the third time I’ve asked to remove the mooncakes. If you don’t, I’m not filming.”
Cha Eun-seong, on the other hand, seemed relaxed.
He pointed at the mooncakes with his long fingers and smiled brightly again. If you only looked at him, he seemed genuinely cheerful.
“We can’t remove them. It’s product placement.”
“Then cancel the product placement.”
“What?”
What kind of unreasonable demand was that?
Muyoung stood by, covering his mouth, anxiously watching the standoff between the two.
Cha Eun-seong’s breath was releasing pale pink flower petals.
Eun-seong hyung, fighting! Let’s go!
The flower petals and the smoke were colliding mid-set, each trying to push the other away. The director crossed his arms and frowned.
“Cut. Eun-seong, come with me.”
“No need to move people around when all you have to do is remove the mooncakes. If we scatter, when will we get back to standby?”
He reluctantly got up, grumbling.
He followed the director out into the hallway.
Only then did the staff members finally breathe properly, as if the ice had broken. Muyoung cautiously followed Cha Eun-seong and the director, thinking he might need to step in and support them if things went south.
“What’s his problem now?”
“Don’t know. Maybe the meds wore off.”
“Ugh, will we even finish shooting today?”
“Who knows. Let’s all take a break.”
Leaving the staff’s chatter behind, Muyoung watched the two of them from a distance. The director’s voice was loud.
“What the hell are you trying to pull?”
“Why would a king and his minister in Joseon discuss politics while eating mooncakes? There’s a limit. You might as well bring out spaghetti and pizza. At least then, people would call it ridiculous, not insane.”
Wow, is he crazy? Why does he talk like that?
Muyoung’s eyes widened in shock, but the director, seemingly used to it, responded calmly.
“One product placement won’t cause that kind of reaction.”
“You know that, Producer-nim?”
“Then does Cha Eun-seong know that?”
“Even the slightest possibility of controversy, and I won’t do it. I’m Cha Eun-seong, Producer-nim. Someone who lives off the title of National Actor can’t afford to be embroiled in such scandals.”
“Look, Cha Eun-seong, this is a breach of contract.”
That’s going too far.
The director’s face turned red, and he was about to say something when Cha Eun-seong beat him to it.
“Remember our contract?”
Why bring that up now?
Under the producer’s puzzled gaze, Cha Eun-seong leaned against the wall. He counted on his fingers, reciting each point.
“Article 3, Mutual Cooperation and Obligations: Party A and Party B shall maintain public decorum to avoid tarnishing the work and each other’s reputations. Furthermore, Party A and Party B shall strive for the highest quality of the work and actively coordinate when necessary. And what else was there?”
Perhaps because memorizing lines was his job, Cha Eun-seong scratched his head a few times before continuing.
“—Therefore, Party A and Party B shall not engage in any actions during the contract period that would be detrimental to the other. I want to say more, but honestly, it’s confusing. Anyway, I’m sure those provisions were in there.”
His words flowed like a river, leaving the producer speechless, unable to find a gap to respond.
“The contract we signed said these things, but if you film the mooncakes and my face up close like that, what does that make me? My grandfather would clutch his chest and collapse. He’s a patriot, you know.”
Clearly proud, he brought up his grandfather again. That image had been so well-crafted that he’d even been appointed as a national defense ambassador.
“Eun-seong, did I do something wrong?”
That was all the producer could manage to say.
Only then did Cha Eun-seong’s face show annoyance.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Anyone would think I’m the trash here.”
“If you pull this now, it’ll be a real problem. We need to film today so we can edit and air it on schedule. The next team is already booked for this set.”
“So cancel the product placement.”
“Ugh. This is driving me crazy.”
“Ugh. This is driving me crazy.”
Cha Eun-seong playfully mimicked the director’s words.
But his mind was in chaos, leaving him no time to pay attention. He kept rubbing his forehead.
“Where’s your manager?”
“I sent him on an errand because I thought you’d be looking for him. If this doesn’t get resolved here, I’ll go in and inform the company. That’ll turn this into an even bigger incident, won’t it?”
“No, seriously……”
“Producer-nim, time and place are limited, so one of us is going down. Either you or me.”
“……?”
“But let’s say I go down, and the product placement airs. I hope there’s no controversy, but if something blows up, my image is ruined, I get slammed with hate, ratings tank, and ads disappear, what do you think I’ll do?”
The actor had already mentioned the contract terms in his protest.
But since the production team had pushed for it, he intended to hold them accountable until the end. If controversy arose, there’d be no chance of working together again anyway.
“You know how much I earn in a year, right?”
A walking small-to-medium enterprise, and more.
He was one of the rare top stars recognized by all demographics. Most of the production budget went into Cha Eun-seong’s salary, so it was no small matter.
“Is that the only product placement you have? I’m Cha Eun-seong.”
And he smirked.
He tilted his chin, pointing to where Muyoung was hiding.
“And that’s Ha Muyoung.”
“Director-nim, please. This really isn’t right. I’ll work harder, I promise.”
Pekkom, Muyoung poked his head in and spoke up.
The director, looking helpless, just messed up his hair.
And Cha Eun-seong kept pushing his deal.
“Is there a loss if you cancel the product placement? You’ll have to refund the production costs, but that’s not really a loss, is it? Just cover the cost of the mooncakes the staff ate. I’ll pay for it.”
“……There’s also a penalty fee. It’s not that simple.”
“Calculate which is higher: the penalty fee or the damages you’ll owe me. Producer-nim, you went to a good university, right? Can’t you do the math quickly?”
At his words, the producer glared at Cha Eun-seong.
Why wouldn’t I be able to do the math, you punk?
It’s not that simple, really……
The company’s situation was another matter entirely.
“The Drama Director put it in, so that’s why.”
Don’t act like you welcomed it from the start.
The producer had initially been skeptical too. But with the sizable contract fee and the Drama Director’s plea, what could he do? A superior’s request isn’t just a request.
“Seriously, let’s not do this.”
“Producer-nim, stop it. Just stop.”
“I’m going crazy. Damn it.”
He slammed his head against the wall in anguish. I wish this were all a dream, really.
“Look at the ratings curve. It’s going up beautifully, so why are you trying to ruin it? Huh?”
“Eun-seong, please shut up. I’m thinking.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
You swear so smoothly.
I thought you’d never do it since you’re always laughing.
Cha Eun-seong, unbothered, just cleaned his ears as he waited for the producer’s decision. Compared to his current antics, a few swear words were nothing. Sweet, even.
After a moment, the producer finally spoke.
“……We need a pretext.”
“What pretext? Say it’s for historical accuracy.”
“Aside from that, a pretext for breaching the contract after signing it. Cha Eun-seong, are you really going to see this through? You can’t back out halfway.”
“You know I’m Cha Eun-seong, but you don’t know my personality.”
“I do know. That’s why I’m dealing with this now…… Ugh, what is this?”
“Since you took the swear, let’s cancel it.”
“Wait. Let me call the writer.”
They had to coordinate that there was no way to include it in the script.
And they also had to tell the Director that there was strong opposition from the actors and production team.
“Yes, Writer-nim. Can you take a call? Ah, actually……”
He glanced at Cha Eun-seong and explained the situation. Cha Eun-seong watched him calmly. Muyoung whispered,
“Did you tell your company about this?”
“No. I’m thinking of telling them now. But if things go well, whatever. No need, right?”
This guy’s insane.
Muyoung was silently shocked.
He had no idea how this top star had climbed so high……
“It’s nothing.”
Had Cha Eun-seong read his thoughts?
He shrugged and said,
“Just be crazy good-looking and have insane acting skills. You too…… give it your all for ten years.”
Muyoung just laughed without responding.
He didn’t want to interrupt the producer’s struggling call.
“Yes, yes. Then we’ll do that. Oh, the dried persimmon product placement? Ah, perfect. We’ll use that first then.”
The producer spent a long time on the call.
After making three or four consecutive calls, he looked at the two of them.
“We’ll use the dried persimmon product placement meant for the next episode, so make it work. Dried persimmons are something you have to eat.”
“Oh, eating scenes are my specialty.”
“Ugh. You’re so annoying. Ugh. I can’t stand you.”
“I like you, Producer-nim. I know you care about the work. We’re all in this together, right?”
“I don’t know. Just get lost. You’re annoying.”
At Cha Eun-seong’s aegyo, the producer waved his hand in disgust.
With the sudden prop change, the props team scrambled.
They rushed to get the dried persimmons, and the mooncakes on the table disappeared into the stomachs of the staff, who were feeling peckish.
“Dried persimmons are here!”
“Ah, set them up quickly. We’re running out of time.”
Their deep orange color and sweet scent were exquisite.
Muyoung sniffed the air and asked the producer,
“What about Dongseon?”
It was definitely fading. Cha Eun-seong’s flower petals were slowly covering the smoke. The producer looked haggard, as if he’d aged in an instant.
“We haven’t informed them yet. We’ll wrap up after filming. Muyoung, I didn’t expect this from you, but you’ve got a cute side.”
“What do you mean?”
There had to be a reason why Cha Eun-seong, who’d said nothing about the mooncakes, suddenly flipped. It had to be because Ha Muyoung was pumping him up from behind.
“Just enjoy the dried persimmons. Got it?”
“The script’s here!”
“Hurry up!”
With the product placement changed, the actors’ lines had to be revised too.
Two pages of script were hastily handed over. Muyoung and Cha Eun-seong sat on cushions and quickly scanned them.
Zziiing—
“Muyoung, this.”
Just then, Ko Gyeongmin handed Muyoung his phone.
There was a text from the writer.
[Muyoung, what’s going on…… I prayed before I slept last night. It was so hard to write, but I guess it’s meant to be. Muyoung, I sent the script urgently. Feel free to change the endings. Fighting today too.]
Though Muyoung didn’t know or need to know the details, it must have been tough for the history-loving writer.
Muyoung laughed as he relayed her words to Cha Eun-seong.
“She says to take it easy.”
“Yeah.”
He rested his chin on his hand, continuing to review the script.
As the staff finished their preparations and the shoot was about to begin, Muyoung and Cha Eun-seong sat facing the small table.
“These dried persimmons look delicious.”
Even though they hadn’t started filming yet, Muyoung jokingly muttered in a historical drama tone. Cha Eun-seong chuckled and played along.
“Your Majesty, I agree. The color is amazing.”
“Oh ho. Did you prepare this meal? You must have worked hard.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It nearly ruined my life. Please enjoy it.”
Cha Eun-seong joked, giggling.
The producer sighed and called out to them.
“Rolling! Let’s do this right this time! Please!”
“Yes, sorry. We’ll eat deliciously~”
Cha Eun-seong lightly waved to the staff, apologizing. And soon, the producer gave the signal.
“Ready—! Action!”