His gaze shifted to Yoon Do-yeong, but instead of acknowledging Kang Hyeon’s suspicious look, Do-yeong’s eyes sparkled as he raised his voice cheerfully to Director Yoo Ji-ha.
“Come on, get in.”
“Y-Yes, of course.”
Prompted by Do-yeong, Director Yoo quickly climbed into the back seat. Kang Hyeon continued to stare at Do-yeong, and finally, unable to ignore the gaze any longer, Do-yeong smiled sweetly. Kang Hyeon zipped his lips shut with an exaggerated gesture, signaling him to keep quiet, and Do-yeong responded with a playful squint of agreement.
Although Kang Hyeon was the one driving, Director Yoo naturally turned to Do-yeong and said,
“Wow… this car is incredible. I heard the one Kang Hyeon showed up in last time was yours too.”
Without replying, Do-yeong gave a small nod and smiled with his eyes in affirmation. Then, seeing how tense Kang Hyeon looked, he turned to Director Yoo and asked gently,
“Hyeon’s here for an additional audition today, right? Waiting in the car sounds lonely. Do you mind if I come inside the office with you? I’ll just stay quietly in a corner.”
Curious about Kang Hyeon’s performance, Do-yeong wanted to observe the audition, but Director Yoo waved his hand.
“It’s not an audition. The role’s already confirmed. I just wanted to hand over the script and have a meal together. You know, a casual meeting to get to know each other better.”
At that, Kang Hyeon raised his voice in gratitude.
“Thank you!”
“What kind of role is it?”
Even though Do-yeong already knew from Chief Choi, he asked anyway, and Director Yoo chuckled heartily as he replied,
“A murderer.”
“What made you choose Hyeon for the part?”
“I liked that cold, piercing look in his eyes.”
Do-yeong continued asking all the questions Kang Hyeon himself must have wanted to ask, and while this exchange continued, the car pulled into the officetel parking lot.
“Wait a bit. I’ll just get the script and be right back.”
Kang Hyeon muttered quietly, and Do-yeong turned around and asked Director Yoo,
“Director, is Hyun-sook noona at the office? Mind if I go up and say hello?”
His eyes sparkled as he asked, and Director Yoo smiled warmly.
“Of course. She asked me to bring her something to eat—that’s why I came out.”
While Director Yoo had been curt with Kang Hyeon, he greeted Do-yeong with an unusually friendly smile and polite demeanor, tinged with a hint of deference. Kang Hyeon remained silent, like a shadow trailing behind Do-yeong, listening to their exchange. To avoid interrupting their conversation, he grabbed the icebox from the car and walked ahead.
When Do-yeong hurried after him with a bag of groceries, Director Yoo snatched it out of his hands as if it were only natural.
“Um… did you happen to read the drama script I sent over?”
“Oh… That was your script?”
“No, no! I co-wrote it.”
“Ah, I see.”
Feigning polite surprise, Do-yeong smiled as they reached the entrance to the Mpia office. After pressing the doorbell, the door opened, and CEO Goo Seong-do greeted them warmly.
“Hyeon, you’re here. Oh? Hello there.”
He bowed his head upon seeing Do-yeong, who also gave a respectful bow in return. A gaunt woman nibbling on snacks inside the office approached.
“Well, look who it is… You’ve gotten so tall! You must be working out hard, huh?”
“Hello, Hyun-sook noona. It’s been a while.”
“Oh my! Noona, he says~!”
Lee Hyun-sook beamed with delight at being addressed that way. Do-yeong’s eyes crinkled into a smile as he added,
“I called you noona even when I was a kid. Why are you so tickled by it now?”
“Well, it makes me feel younger.”
Hyun-sook made way for them, kicking aside clutter scattered on the floor. As they entered, a woman with glasses who had been sipping coffee jumped up in surprise. Do-yeong bowed politely.
“Hello.”
“Hello! Wow… you’re really handsome.”
Used to hearing that, Do-yeong offered a standard, courteous smile as he walked further inside and sat at the seat she indicated, looking around the place, which could only be described as a mess.
Everyone looked happy but slightly bewildered by Do-yeong’s presence, their eyes eventually shifting to Kang Hyeon as he set down the icebox and began unloading groceries.
Beside him, CEO Goo repeatedly muttered, “Why’d you buy so much?” and Kang Hyeon smiled and replied, “Do-yeong bought it. He tends to go overboard,” praising him.
Nearby, Director Yoo was heating frozen food in the microwave. The woman with glasses who had been drinking coffee kept her eyes on Do-yeong, who seemed completely at ease with the whole scene. Sensing her gaze, Do-yeong kindly initiated a conversation.
“What’s your role here?”
“I’m Oh I-seul, the writer of the drama script we sent over.”
“Ah… nice to meet you.”
Do-yeong’s eyes drifted away from her, landing instead on Director Yoo, who was returning with a cheerful smile, holding the microwaved food. Oh I-seul, cautiously wiping the table with a wet tissue, asked,
“Did you read the script?”
“Yes.”
“What did you think?”
“I want to change up my image, so I won’t be participating.”
He declined instantly, and Oh I-seul gave a weak smile and nodded slightly.
“Ah… I see. Well, what did you think of the story?”
Without replying, Do-yeong simply smiled. Lee Hyun-sook handed him a paper cup of coffee.
“Share your thoughts. Personally, I think the characters still need work. They don’t feel fleshed out yet.”
Do-yeong just kept smiling. His guarded demeanor prompted Lee Hyun-sook to gently pat his shoulder.
“Yeah, I get it. It’s not easy to be honest with someone you just met.”
“Actually… I like people who speak bluntly. Could you give me some feedback?”
Although Hyun-sook had tried to smooth things over, Oh I-seul asked again with a hopeful look. Do-yeong gave a soft smile and took a sip of coffee, saying nothing. Watching this, Kang Hyeon cautiously stepped in.
“Do-yeong’s more straightforward than he looks—”
“That’s even better! Honestly… the script was originally for a romance film, but the production company wanted it repurposed as a drama. So, I had to change a lot. It’s really different from my original concept.”
With tears nearly welling in her eyes, Oh I-seul explained. Finally setting down his coffee, Do-yeong spoke.
“It’s cliché. The protagonist struggling with inferiority toward the perfect second male lead, then winning both love and success—it’s overdone. And I don’t find it convincing that the female lead would choose the flawed main lead over the perfect second guy.”
“She’s a capable woman who helps the male lead grow and becomes stronger herself. She’s drawn to him emotionally.”
“Hmm… I think real emotions are more complex than that. Characters split into black and white, good and evil, don’t appeal to me.”
Oh I-seul’s face froze at his brutally honest words. Kang Hyeon glanced at Do-yeong with a warning look. Seeing it, Do-yeong, now committed to his critique, continued calmly.
“If the female lead’s truly competent, shouldn’t she at least be a chaebol heiress? She’d need some experience to navigate corporate politics.”
“So, the female lead is a passive genius?”
Director Yoo cut in dryly, and Do-yeong raised his cup to his lips again.
“That’s not for me to figure out. Discuss it with the writer.”
With the air of someone high up approving a proposal, Do-yeong drew a sharp boundary. Director Yoo let out a low “Ahem…” and shut his mouth. Just as Do-yeong seemed ready to speak again, Kang Hyeon murmured,
“Enough.”
“What? She asked for honesty.”
“You’re toeing the line between honesty and rudeness.”
“I wasn’t insulting it.”
“Shut it.”
Though spoken just above a whisper, the unique tone of their exchange drew attention. Glancing at Kang Hyeon’s tense expression, Do-yeong looked reluctant, but still gave a quick apology.
“…If I was rude, I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. We did ask for honest feedback.”
“Hyeon, why are you trying to shut Do-yeong down?”
Lee Hyun-sook patted Do-yeong’s back and continued while munching on some microwaved dumplings.
“He’s always been blunt, inside and out. Same as when he was a kid.”
Chewing thoughtfully, she passed him a pair of disposable chopsticks.
“After all the revisions, everything got fuzzy except the corporate politics angle.”
“Even that part felt sloppy to me. Like, you assign work to a subcontractor you jointly develop tech with, then pressure them financially until they take contracts from competitors. Usually, that leads to prosecution over tech leaks, a media frenzy, and the company going under.”
Picking up a dumpling, Do-yeong added nonchalantly,
“Then you use a third company to buy them out cheap, shift all the work there, boost their stock price, and list them to create slush funds.”
Since Kang Hyeon had no idea what the script was about, he had nothing to add. The writer and director, however, were practically glowing with excitement, asking questions left and right. While they eagerly soaked up Do-yeong’s insights, Kang Hyeon quietly watched him.
CEO Goo handed Kang Hyeon the script and scenario from Director Yoo.
“Not many lines, huh.”
“Really?”
The plot was simple. A string of serial murders occurs in one area, and the story follows the investigation. The killer is a polite bank employee who uses customer data for his crimes.
CEO Goo brought out a storyboard from one side of the table.
“Look at this. Most of it’s just scenes at the bank where he greets customers a few times.”
CEO Goo explained the film instead of Director Yoo, and Kang Hyeon listened closely, flipping through the storyboard panels.
With the food all heated, Lee Hyun-sook sat herself on the edge of the table, unable to find a proper seat.
“Jeez… Why are we all crammed in here? If you’re gonna have a meeting, go upstairs to the loft.”
No one reacted. Each person stayed immersed in their own interests, talking over one another. Do-yeong’s gaze swept across the chaotic people and the noisy interior.
