Chapter 178: 혼쭐
Someone’s breathing was clearly audible.
The surroundings were so quiet that it felt like walking on thin ice. Ki Hyeon-ho froze at Cha Eun-seong’s harsh words.
“…Oh, so there was a misunderstanding…”
His face was much redder than before.
Was it because of the shame of being cursed at in front of dozens of staff members?
Or was it the embarrassment of being caught off guard in an unexpected situation? His face was even redder than when he had covered his mouth, feigning modesty.
Cha Eun-seong’s cold gaze intensified.
“I’m clearing up that misunderstanding now. Don’t beat around the bush, just answer yes or no. Did Ha Muyoung tell you to change the script? If you make me say it twice, I’ll really flip the table.”
Ki Hyeon-ho seemed unaware of how terrifying the threat of flipping the table was to the staff. The atmosphere among the onlookers shifted instantly.
“Hyeon-ho, it’s okay, just tell us.”
“Right. Cha Eun-seong is asking you.”
“We need to clear this up so it doesn’t happen again. Whether it’s a misunderstanding or a mistake, let’s resolve it. Did Muyoung really tell you to change the script? What part and how?”
“No, just tell us what you two talked about.”
“Yeah, that’s it. It’s really okay, so just be comfortable. Right?”
Everyone urged him with one voice.
They were telling him to answer quickly before Cha Eun-seong lost his temper.
Perhaps the prepared script didn’t account for this situation, as Ki Hyeon-ho, instead of giving a proper answer, just rolled his eyes and searched for his manager. Only then did the manager, who had been dumbfounded and flustered, raise both hands and step in front of Ki Hyeon-ho.
“I’m sorry. It seems Hyeon-ho was nervous because this is his first time working on such a big project. There seems to have been a communication issue. I’ll talk to him nicely—”
“I won’t do it.”
Cha Eun-seong cut him off sharply, removed a hairpin, and threw it away.
As he tried to storm off, the staff grabbed him in astonishment. Normally, they wouldn’t have been able to stop him, but now they knew Cha Eun-seong was calmer thanks to Muyoung.
“Eun-seong! Why are you acting like this?”
“F*ck, he’s not making sense. I asked for an answer, but he’s just making excuses. I’m too pissed off to shoot.”
“Oh! Eun-seong!”
“Hyung!”
Just as he was about to throw off his clothes,
Muyoung, who had been listening quietly, called out to him. Cha Eun-seong stopped and tilted his head to the side, as if asking why.
Muyoung smiled and picked up the hairpin scattered on the floor.
“If you say you won’t shoot, what are we supposed to do?”
“It’s so frustrating I can’t handle it.”
He handed the pin back and said,
“I’ll explain. Ki Hyeon-ho asked if the last line was too long and if it could be changed. Since it was a last-minute script change, he said it’s something that often happens on set. Right?”
At Muyoung’s words, Ki Hyeon-ho suddenly came to his senses and nodded.
“Y-yes! So, Ha Muyoung told me to do it.”
“You left out the part about telling the director first.”
“B-because he didn’t say that—”
“You’re not a child, do you really need to be told everything explicitly?”
Muyoung replied with a smile.
His voice was so refreshing it felt discordant with the situation. Cha Eun-seong firmly pinned the hairpin back into his hair and added,
“Seriously. You’re not some dumb*ss. If you can’t understand what’s being said, how are you going to act? Huh? Can you even read the script?”
Muyoung whispered quietly to Cha Eun-seong,
In a voice so small no one else could hear.
“Hyung, that’s too harsh.”
But Cha Eun-seong’s response boomed loudly across the set.
“What do I care, fck! He’s acting like Ha Muyoung told him to change it, even though he completely misunderstood. What a crazy bstard, so confident! Hey, are you not going to apologize?”
A crazy b*stard so confident. That description suits you more, Cha Eun-seong…
Muyoung calmly observed Ki Hyeon-ho. His eyes were red, as if he were about to burst into tears.
“If you’re here, just stay quiet. Don’t cause trouble, you little sh*t. Trying to stir up trouble so sneakily. Do you think I haven’t seen your type before? Acting all nice on the surface but discriminating behind people’s backs, spineless, and terrible at acting.”
“Hyung, stop. Please, stop.”
“Cha Eun-seong, you’re going too far.”
Ki Hyeon-ho’s manager couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up. But he was foolish. While Muyoung was trying to calm things down, the manager was only adding fuel to the fire.
“You’re the ones going too far. If you’re here to leech off the ratings, the least you can do is bow your head. Why are you constantly picking fights with the lead actor? F*ck, are you a spy from another network?”
“Director, let’s pause the shoot for now.”
“Huh? Yeah, let’s. Everyone, stop, please!”
“Assistant Director, please take Ki Hyeon-ho out of here.”
Muyoung stepped in to mediate the situation.
The staff, who had been listening in confusion, finally began to move. The manager was fuming, and Ki Hyeon-ho was on the verge of tears.
Unable to resist the staff’s guidance, the two entered the waiting room.
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
Cha Eun-seong, looking refreshed after speaking his mind, drank some water. Muyoung, sitting across from him holding a bottle cap, asked,
“Were you that frustrated?”
“I thought I was going to die. That shady b*stard. I never liked him from the start. If you’re going to scheme, at least do it subtly. What was that? Tsk.”
The staff chimed in as well.
Whether they were trying to cheer up Cha Eun-seong or if they genuinely felt that way, it was hard to tell.
“I thought something was off too. He kept leaving out Muyoung, intentionally or not.”
“It felt like he was creating a rift, right?”
“Exactly. But he’s so bold. How could he say something like that in front of the camera? That Muyoung told him to change the script? Wow, that’s wild.”
“Having someone like that around is exhausting.”
“He’s divisive and only causes trouble. Ugh.”
“Eun-seong, you handled it well. A bit rough, but…”
“You know, in Areum Lotus, the female lead Seo Yi-jae comes to our salon. When they said there was someone exhausting on set, they must have been talking about Ki Hyeon-ho.”
“I’m just saying this now, but the waiting room issue was actually fine. I even checked by opening the door, but later I saw that Ha Muyoung’s belongings were in there.”
As they spoke, the staff realized they had all subtly noticed Ki Hyeon-ho’s strange behavior. They had just overlooked it because they were too busy, and it didn’t seem to affect Muyoung much.
“You’ve been through a lot, Muyoung.”
But Muyoung just smiled and shook his head.
Not because it seemed fine, but because it genuinely didn’t affect him.
“It’s okay. Please tidy up the set. I have a schedule this afternoon, so I can’t be late.”
“Oh, but I don’t think we can shoot today…”
After being publicly humiliated like that, how could he possibly act?
Muyoung shrugged and stood up.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Cha Eun-seong grabbed Muyoung, who was about to leave.
Muyoung gestured down the hallway of the waiting room.
“To receive an apology.”
“Wow, he’s really crazy. I heard he was a total jerk, but how could he say something like that? Hyeon-ho, are you okay?”
“…If you were in my position, would you be okay?”
Ki Hyeon-ho wiped away his tears, sniffling.
He had never felt such humiliation in his life.
How could they treat him like that in front of all the staff? It felt like they weren’t even treating him like a human being. He shed tears like a wounded bird and lamented,
“Was I really that wrong? It was just a communication issue…”
“What did you do wrong? No! Cha Eun-seong is the crazy one! Don’t cry.”
“Hyung, I can’t work anymore…”
They were completely out of tune with each other.
The manager continued to comfort his actor.
Knock, knock.
Then, a polite knock sounded, and the door opened.
Ha Muyoung peeked his head through the crack and asked,
“Can I come in?”
“…”
Ki Hyeon-ho and his manager were speechless, not knowing what to say. Muyoung broke the silence first.
“Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay? How could you say something so harsh—”
“Why are you talking like that? I’m the victim here.”
As the manager tried to lash out, Muyoung cut him off with an annoyed laugh.
True.
If you think about it, Cha Eun-seong was the one causing a scene, while Ha Muyoung hadn’t said a word. In fact, he had tried to mediate the situation.
“Ki Hyeon-ho.”
Muyoung sat across from him and began to speak.
“I understand if you have some feelings toward me, but honestly, I wasn’t really paying attention.”
Whether Ki Hyeon-ho was subtly excluding him, trying to impress Cha Eun-seong, or disrupting script practice, it didn’t matter.
“I had too much on my plate to worry about Ki Hyeon-ho.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do. But earlier on set, you crossed a line. Words can have different meanings, but how could you talk about me like that in front of the staff?”
This was an issue that could disrupt the drama.
On a set where everyone’s role is crucial, it’s abnormal for an actor to overstep their bounds.
“Apologize to me and the rest of the crew.”
Muyoung demanded firmly.
“Then I’ll forgive you.”
The drama hadn’t aired yet, but some scenes had already been filmed. Either way, the work needed to be completed smoothly.
For his sake and for the sake of the other staff.
“Hyeon-ho should also receive an apology.”
“Manager, that’s something you should discuss with Eun-seong. Right now, I’m talking about the issue between Ki Hyeon-ho and me. I’m responsible for the drama, and I have the right to receive an apology.”
If Ki Hyeon-ho admitted his mistake now, Muyoung was willing to help him. But Ki Hyeon-ho hesitated and swallowed his words.
“I really thought Ha Muyoung told me to change the script. I didn’t mean to cause trouble…”
Muyoung stared intently at Ki Hyeon-ho’s face.
Then, without hesitation, he withdrew his gaze.
“I understand. Do as you please, then.”
“Wait! But if I caused any offense, I apologize.”
Did he sense his last chance slipping away?
Ki Hyeon-ho urgently added, but Muyoung only smiled. It was too late, his expression said. Through the open door, Cha Eun-seong’s scowling face appeared.
“See? Someone like that is beyond saving.”
It’s a shame. If Ki Hyeon-ho had just apologized properly, he might have heard an apology from Cha Eun-seong. He could have been part of a drama that was rewriting viewership records.
“Pack your things and get out.”
“Hyung, let’s go.”
“I don’t want to see your face.”
“Hyung, come on.”
Muyoung pushed his back and waved at Ki Hyeon-ho. Then, with a loud bang, he closed the door neatly and left.
As Cha Eun-seong and Ha Muyoung exited the waiting room, the PD rushed over, asking,
“So, what happened?”
It was a question asking if they had reconciled.
Cha Eun-seong answered with a snort.
It meant that either he or Ki Hyeon-ho had to go.
“We’ll need to find a new actor.”
“Ugh, this is a mess.”
And if someone had to be cut, it would obviously be Ki Hyeon-ho.
“What’s there to stress about? Just bill the cost of reshooting to his agency. The atmosphere on set was ruined because of the actor’s mistake. It’s fortunate this happened before the broadcast, right?”
Since his role was added after the schedule change, the public didn’t know about his appearance yet. It was truly fortunate. Unfortunately for Ki Hyeon-ho, though.
“Can you just give him one more chance? Please?”
“No, I won’t replace him. Go back.”
Cha Eun-seong flatly refused and walked past the PD. He glanced at Muyoung with pleading eyes, but Muyoung was the same.
“I don’t want to either.”
“Ahhhh! Where am I going to find an actor now?!”
The PD grabbed the wall and wailed.
Muyoung patted his shoulder and laughed.
“There must be someone out there. A good actor.”
“Who?!”
“That’s something the PD needs to figure out…”
Ah. Suddenly, a face flashed through Muyoung’s mind.
Most of his scenes were two-shots with Jungjong, so they needed someone with good chemistry, and someone around the same age.
“I do have a friend with the same surname, Ki. Hmm. Could they be cousins?”
“Ki Hyeon-ho is a stage name…”
“Oh, I see. That actor’s real surname is Ki. Would the PD like to hold an audition?”
At Muyoung’s words, the PD looked at him with tearful eyes. Who are you talking about?