Chapter 172: Fury
[Controversial drama,
[J Corporation posts apology, not the company’s stance… employee’s unilateral decision, will be dismissed]
[Re-run viewership of <Blade’s Path> breaks 9.87%, rewriting history]
[J Corporation, going from cold to hot, is <Blade’s Path> the breakthrough? Losses nearing 1.3 billion]
[Additional episodes of <Blade’s Path> confirmed! Cha Eun-seong voluntarily reduces his fee… ‘Raise the staff’s wages.’]
[Heartwarming story about historical accuracy in <Blade’s Path>, cast ‘received mooncake PPL but it didn’t fit so we rejected it’]
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Serves them right~ There’s no future for a people who forget their history, you bastards~ Remember this well as you bleed money~
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I guess discontinuing Shoot My Love was the answer after all. At least it’s good that they’re handling it quickly. The VOD service will be taken down tomorrow, too.
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You have to actually taste it to know if it’s shit or paste?? Idiots
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J Corporation, cling to <Blade’s Path>. I was going to boycott them but I can’t stop watching because of that.
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I don’t even remember the last time I watched the original broadcast and re-run, too. I end up watching when I flip through the channels;;
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They got a mooncake PPL there, too, but they were fiercely against it on set. Like, why would a Joseon king eat mooncakes? It really is fortunate. It could’ve faded into history like Shoot My Love.
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King, like Ha Muyoung? Was that Ha Muyoung?
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But the actors and staff of <Blade’s Path> seem pretty decent. Just looking at how Cha Eun-seong took care of the wages, you can tell what the vibe is like
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I’m an 8-year fan of Cha Eun-seong and this is the first time I’ve seen an article like this ㅠㅠㅋ
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His face doesn’t look the type… If it was Ha Muyoung, I’d believe it… With a face like a punk…
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Don’t touch Cha Eun-seong, damn it
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You can’t blame the broadcast station for <Blade’s Path>. At least they’re trying to be accurate.
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What if <Blade’s Path> takes a hit because the broadcast station is losing money? Was Cha Eun-seong’s fee reduction something like that? Because they don’t have the money?
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Nooo <Blade’s Path> has to go to 100 episodes,, I’ll raise the viewershipㅠㅠ,, Everyone be sure to watch <Blade’s Path>,,
Squeak- as Cha Eun-seong’s van entered the set.
As if to say screw the heat, he was decked out in sunglasses and a leather jacket. His schedule had ended in the early morning so he wasn’t in the best condition.
“……Tired. Annoying.”
“They said filming will end early today, just hang in there a little.”
Cha Eun-seong walked in with a sour expression.
The manager coaxed him like a baby.
Just like usual, he pushed the door open with his foot—
Boom! Bang!
All of a sudden, fireworks and confetti burst out. Startled, Cha Eun-seong stumbled back and stepped on his manager’s foot.
“Ow!”
“Ah, shit……”
The curse rose to his lips but the sight before him made him swallow it. The staff were smiling brightly, holding a cake. Cha Eun-seong shook his head and asked,
“Eun-seong, come on in~”
“What is this? In broad daylight?”
“National actor Cha Eun-seong~”
Were they all crazy?
Cha Eun-seong looked at them strangely.
The cake was thrust in front of him. There was one candle and the words, ‘The protagonist of <Blade’s Path> rewriting history.’
“Eun-seong. I heard. You reduced your fee to take care of us? What’s the occasion!”
“Thank you so much. It’s nothing much but we prepared this.”
“We’re counting on you from now on, too.”
“Thanks! I was wondering if my salary would go up, and it did like this! Hahaha!”
Someone might say it’s only 5%.
It’s not like Cha Eun-seong, whose fee is in the hundreds of millions, so the difference is only a hundred thousand won. But for the average person living paycheck to paycheck, that really helps when it piles up every month.
“Whoo-!”
“Whoo?”
At the staff’s urging, Cha Eun-seong awkwardly blew out the candle. Then he took off his sunglasses and laughed incredulously.
“……Glad to hear it helped.”
“Of course! And eight more episodes!”
Eight episodes was almost two months.
When the project ends, you have to rush into the next project, but at least that’s not it!
And once the salary goes up, you can use that as the baseline for the next project.
It really, really was good news.
“Let’s do our best!”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s do that. Clean up the confetti first, I’m going to slip and fall.”
“Let’s get Eun-seong’s makeup done!”
“Everyone’s energy today is……”
“Ahahaha!”
They seemed crazy.
Cha Eun-seong calmly walked into the makeup room and Muyoung appeared while the staff cleaned up.
“Huh? Hyung, you’re already here?”
“Yeah. I went to the bathroom and you were already here?”
“Aww. Too bad. I was going to clap for you.”
“I just got to the waiting room.”
“How was the reaction?”
“They didn’t seem that happy? Just surprised?”
“Oh. I’ll get ready, too!”
As he nodded and tried to pass by, the staff stopped him.
“Uh, Muyoung. Thank you so much.”
“Huh? What for?”
“Just, everything. Let’s make a good production today, too.”
“Of course.”
“Honestly, it is more comfortable to work with Eun-seong because of you. Hahaha.”
Even if they pretended otherwise on the outside, they all knew that Ha Muyoung played a big part. Otherwise, Cha Eun-seong? That Cha Eun-seong?
Everyone who had seen him on set knew.
If it wasn’t for Ha Muyoung, they wouldn’t have made it this far.
It could’ve blown up starting with the mooncake PPL.
Muyoung smiled and walked into the waiting room.
Click- as he opened the door. There was a cake on the table and Cha Eun-seong was squatting in front of it, taking pictures.
Click! Click!
“You’re here?”
……Who said he didn’t seem to like it?
He seems to like it a lot?
Muyoung held in his laughter and sat down.
The coordinator seemed the same. She was desperately trying to hide her expression with her teeth clenched.
“Everyone was thanking you, hyung. It really was a good decision. They said the additional episodes helped, too.”
“It’s not like it’s a lot or anything……”
“But it’s a raise, it’s a complete win!”
“Is, is it?”
Cha Eun-seong, whose eyes were darting around, smirked.
The vibe on set seemed better today, for several reasons.
“Muyoung, do you want to go first? Eun-seong said he’ll go later.”
Because he’s taking pictures.
At the coordinator’s words, Muyoung looked for a headband.
Then the waiting room door opened. It was Ko Gyeongmin.
He walked in with a bunch of coffee and handed a cup to Muyoung.
“Muyoung, post-production for
“Wow, really? Then when is it coming out?”
“It’s been on ‘Coming Soon’ on Nepflix since yesterday, it’ll probably be out in two weeks. You’ll probably have to go on variety shows, is everything okay with Jin Seo?”
Yikes. A name I haven’t heard in a while.
I haven’t seen him since he confessed at the company dinner but Muyoung answered, flustered.
“Why, why? Did Jin Seo say he didn’t want to do variety shows with me?”
“Huh? No. You seemed uncomfortable with Jin Seo.”
“Huh? Me? Not at all. It’s fine. Schedule it whenever as long as Jin Seo is okay.”
I was a little conscious of him after the company dinner but it seemed like Ko Gyeongmin thought I was uncomfortable.
Ko Gyeongmin kept checking his schedule on his phone.
“And next month, the Asian International Film Festival is finally here.
“Whoa! Finally!”
The Asian International Film Festival was a multinational festival that was held in a different location every year. The judges were also selected from film personnel from various countries and it was going to be held in Busan this year.
“Competition? Or non-competition?”
“Non-competition.”
There was a judging category but the program was mostly non-competition.
The purpose of the film festival itself was to promote exchange and development of Asian films and to maximize audience participation to invigorate the Asian film industry.
Exchange, promotion, and enjoyment.
Perhaps because the purpose was clear, it was a film festival whose prestige was slowly rising over the years.
There were many overseas officials so you could expect things like copyright exports.
“You’ll probably have to do a GV, the schedule isn’t up yet. One of you, Bora, and Taeseok who is free will have to go.”
“Understood. Let me know when it’s decided.”
“Okay. Then get ready. I’ll take this call.”
Muyoung hummed as he checked the scene they were filming today. The mood of the drama was gradually intensifying. After the enshrinement in the Confucian temple, a rift had formed between King Jungjong and Jo Gwangjo and all the episodes after that were events that widened the rift.
King Jungjong had employed Jo Gwangjo to establish royal authority but his growing prestige was becoming a threat.
“It’ll seem a little frustrating for the viewers.”
“What? King Jungjong getting pushed around?”
Muyoung nodded.
Being pushed around was a better term than getting beaten up.
Either way, King Jungjong was helpless against Jo Gwangjo, who was threatening the royal authority.
Cha Eun-seong, who had been taking pictures, snickered.
“People who like Jo Gwangjo must be feeling refreshed these days.”
Every time they clashed, Jo Gwangjo won so you could see it that way.
The scene Muyoung was filming today was a difficult emotional scene.
The frustration that had piled up like dust gradually churned into something stronger, it was delicate work. Muyoung carefully analyzed the script.
‘This scene will be the catalyst.’
The vague relationship between King Jungjong and Jo Gwangjo would completely transform into a rivalry. Cha Eun-seong glanced at Muyoung, who was focused.
Honestly, he was a little curious.
‘Can the guy who’s always smiling pull off anger?’
He couldn’t imagine it.
That face spewing rage.
He carefully put the cake in a box and changed his clothes. When Muyoung’s makeup was almost done, the assistant director came to get him.
Knock knock.
“Muyoung, are you done?”
“Yeah, almost.”
“Come out when you’re ready.”
Muyoung grabbed his gat and script and walked out.
Cha Eun-seong tried to sneakily follow him—
“Where are you going? You have to get your makeup done.”
“I’m going to watch him.”
“No. There’s no time.”
“Aw, just for a little bit.”
“No~”
The coordinator grabbed his hand and he failed.
Meanwhile, Muyoung walked onto the set with a slightly nervous expression. The background was already perfectly set up.
The assistant director showed him the porcelain. It was a prop that King Jungjong would throw at the end.
“The second one from the left is the specially made porcelain.”
“It’s really light.”
“It’s made of sugar so it’s fine. But we only have three right now……”
They were asking him to do it without any NGs. Muyoung nodded like it was no big deal.
“Yeah, I got it.”
“Then let’s get ready.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Muyoung sat down and looked at the pile of petitions.
The papers were filled with the cries of his subjects.
He wondered what kind of emotions King Jungjong, or any king would’ve felt.
“Let’s go. Muyoung!”
“Ready—!”
Muyoung sat up straight and looked straight at the camera. The staff’s hearts were pounding as they watched. In fact, everyone in the studio was a little excited.
‘Muyoung, getting angry.’
‘Ha Muyoung~ Go crazy~’
‘I’m so curious.’
No matter how good the acting was, it was definitely a rare sight. The director checked the screen and put his hand down.
“Action!”
The king was exhausted.
His eyes were lifeless, as if his emotions had been worn down. His hands moved like a lifeless doll. King Jungjong lightly flipped through the petitions.
‘They’re all trying to strangle me.’
Like moths drawn to the flame, they were throwing themselves at the pinnacle of power.
Whoosh- the king slowly opened a petition.
The supporting actors’ voices came alive in narration. The more he read, the more life appeared in the king’s eyes.
The life of fury.
“Is there no one out there?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The supporting actor sitting outside the camera added his voice. King Jungjong trembled as he picked up the petition.
“Are these all petitions from the Office of the Inspector-General?”
“……Yes, Your Majesty.”
“If I don’t yield, you’ll all resign?”
“……”
“Is this not a threat, then what is it?”
“We apologize, Your Majesty.”
The king’s hand trembled intermittently. And soon, his eyes turned red.
It was an involuntary reaction to his fury.
“Do you think you can tread on me just because I rose above you?”
And his voice cracked slightly.
Everyone except the camera team, who had to keep watching the screen, was cheering for Muyoung.
‘Go! Muyoung! Get angry!’