"It's 27.3%!" Geum Eun-Dong raised both hands and shouted. Within the first minute of the broadcast, the viewership ratings had already surpassed the 12th episode's peak of 26.7%. At that moment, the waiting staff also raised their hands high and cheered. In this industry, it was a given that school violence controversies tanked viewership ratings. But today, to prevent that, they flooded the media all day with stories about Deok-Bae. They even arranged for a documentary on Deok-Bae and Han-Ul on MBS Documentary 7 Days to air next week, and released a preview. Surprisingly, the viewership ratings had rather gone up. Curiosity about Deok-Bae completely overshadowed the controversy involving Han Sun-Myung. Only then did Oh Bok-Hee finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Sigh~ What a save." There was still nearly an hour left in the broadcast of Hwaranjeon, but since the first-minute viewership ratings were typically the lowest, we could relax now. Catching her breath, Oh Bok-Hee looked at me. "Mr. Jung, thank you." Just as I was about to say it wasn't thanks to me, the other staff chimed in. "Good job, Chief Jung." "Thank you, Deok-Bae!" "Deok-Bae really came through today!" Though MBS had worked hard to protect their viewership ratings, it was Deok-Bae who had provided the core content. Maybe that was why everyone was showering Deok-Bae and me with praise. In the end, Deok-Bae and I could only accept their thanks. "Thank you for your hard work, everyone~~!!" As I bowed my head, the set erupted in cheers once again. Just then, Geum Eun-Dong answered a call and shouted out. "Mrs. Oh! The preview for MBS Documentary 7 Days that aired earlier hit 10.4%!" "That show never even broke 7%, and the preview got over 10%?" "Ah~ you should've told me earlier~" "They said they're really sorry. Apparently someone from their side is coming to the office to apologize soon. What should we do?" Oh Bok-Hee gave a small laugh. "There's no need to go that far. Just tell them to do better from now on." 'Is she really saying it's fine as long as they do better in the future?' Coming from Oh Bok-Hee, the drama ghost who breathed fire when angry, it was astonishing to hear. Perhaps because episode 13 of Hwaranjeon had a strong start, Oh Bok-Hee looked more like a Buddha than a ghost today. The staff even giggled behind their hands, joking that she might achieve nirvana at this rate. At that moment, I logged into MBS' Hwaranjeon viewer board just in case. Though Deok-Bae didn't appear in episode 13, the preview of MBS Documentary 7 Days had aired, which might have caused some confusion among viewers. Sure enough, the board was flooded with Deok-Bae's name. [Hwaranjeon Viewer Board] -Will Deok-Bae be in today's episode? -When does Kim Beop-Min, played by Deok-Bae, appear? -I heard it's from episode 20? -Wait, isn't Deok-Bae appearing today? -Wasn't all the promo for his appearance today? Thanks to all the coverage about Deok-Bae today, his recognition had soared. Naturally, viewers had assumed he would appear in today's episode. I had to do something before this misunderstanding turned into anger. And just then, an idea came to me—a way to clear things up and at the same time skyrocket Deok-Bae's fame even more. 'We can just move up his appearance.' If Deok-Bae, originally scheduled to appear in episode 20, could be brought in earlier even by just one episode, it would resolve the issue. 'I'll wait until the drama ends and I'll ask the writers when they arrive.' As I watched episode 13 of Hwaranjeon, I began organizing my thoughts on how to persuade the writers coming down from Gyeongju to allow Deok-Bae's earlier debut. An hour passed and Hwaranjeon ended. Geum Eun-Dong started jumping again. "Today's peak viewership ratings was 28.1%!" "Wow~ That's insane. Deok-Bae totally carried today." "How does a guy who didn't even appear on screen boost viewership ratings ?" "Right? How can you not love Deok-Bae?" The staff were all praising Deok-Bae and expressing their gratitude. Everyone was congratulating each other when a van pulled into the parking lot after 11 p.m. It was a large white Binz Springer carrying the writers. When the van stopped in the lot, the staff shot up from their seats and ran to greet them. Since Oh Bok-Hee said it first, I ran with her to the parking lot. As we arrived, the writers poured out of the van. Han Woo-Ju stepped out with Lee Ji-Yeon and Kim Soll-Ip, who had co-written the episode. Due to a sudden script crisis, Han Woo-Ju had called on Lee Ji-Yeon for help, and since Kim Soll-Ip happened to be visiting her house, she had tagged along like it was a casual outing. Oh Bok-Hee clasped her hands together and apologized. "I'm so sorry. We didn't mean for this to blow up , but we had no choice but to drop Han Sun-Myung suddenly." Han Woo-Ju shook her head. "No, I understand your position, Mrs. Oh. We couldn't keep Han Sun-Myung on anyway......" "Thank you for understanding." "Not at all. Oh, and I heard the viewership ratings went up?" "Yes. Thankfully, it ended at 28.1%." "Well, then that's good. So, is Mr. Han Sun-Myung still on set by any chance?" "He bolted. What a classless jerk." "Oh? Then what do we do? We had him getting stabbed to death as Taecheong-Rang in episode 14's revised script......" Though nothing could be done about today's episode, Taecheong-Rang had to be removed from tomorrow's episode 14. At that moment, Oh Bok-Hee carefully suggested, "Um...... could you possibly revise the script again so that Taecheong-Rang just dies offscreen somewhere? I'll try to take care of the rest with editing." That's when Lee Ji-Yeon flashed a sly grin. "Aw~ PD Oh, is that really necessary?" "Pardon me? Do you have a better idea?" Lee Ji-Yeon turned to me with that same grin. "Yoon-Ho~ stunt double. Think it's possible?" Suddenly, all eyes were on me. I stuttered, "You want me... to be the double?" Since I was the same height and build as Han Sun-Myung, I was apparently the perfect fit. Lee Ji-Yeon's eyes curved into crescents. 'This is getting scary.' Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽 Then Oh Bok-Hee chimed in eagerly, "Actually, Mr. Jung's build is perfect. If you just wear the Taecheong-Rang mask and double for the scene, it'll work." Everyone nodded and smiled. 'What the hell, people! I'm the one who has to take a sword and collapse! Why is everyone smiling so happily?' At that point, head Han Woo-Ju finished thinking and said, "In that case, we can revise episode 14 so Taecheong-Rang is escorting Kim Chun-Chu to Tang and ends up getting killed by assassins. We can use that scene." Tomorrow's episode 14 would feature Kim Chun-Chu traveling to Tang to request aid in the war against Baekje. On his way back to the embassy after completing the negotiations, he gets ambushed by assassins sent by Baekje. Fortunately, Taecheong-Rang, who is escorting him, fights off the attackers but is ultimately killed, while Kim Chun-Chu suffers serious injuries. They wanted to have Taecheong-Rang die in that exact scene, killed by the assassins. Han Woo-Ju looked at me with sparkling eyes. "Mr. Jung, is it too much to ask?" Now that she was part of Hoop Entertainment, I couldn't refuse her request. I could die as a stand-in, but I wouldn't just die for nothing. A good talent agent made the most of opportunities to secure screen time for their actors, after all. "I'll do whatever's needed from collapsing from a stab wound, dance with a sword in my chest, to anything. But..." Oh Bok-Hee and the writers tilted their heads. "But?" "Could we have Deok-Bae appear starting from episode 14?" They tilted their heads again. "You want Deok-Bae to appear earlier?" "Yes. And not just for him, but it's for the good of Hwaranjeon too." I pulled out my phone and began persuading them by showing the viewer board for Hwaranjeon. "As you can see, viewers are already upset that Deok-Bae didn't appear today." [Hwaranjeon – Viewer Board] -Wow~ So Deok-Bae wasn't appearing today after all? -The article said he'd be in episode 20. -I never saw that article. -They totally fooled us. I really thought Deok-Bae would appear starting today...... -It would be great if he showed up tomorrow...... Even more posts had popped up on the viewer board, criticizing Deok-Bae's absence. Veteran writer Lee Ji-Yeon nodded. "Yoon-Ho's right. The hype's been built, and now people want to see him immediately. If we don't follow through, it's practically inviting a riot, right PD Oh?" Oh Bok-Hee looked at Han Woo-Ju. "Ms. Han, can we revise the script?" As Han Woo-Ju hesitated over the sudden rewrite, I slipped in the idea I had already prepared. "Ms. Han. What if in that scene where the assassins ambush them, Kim Beop-Min appears and helps out? He could step in to protect his father, Kim Chun-Chu, right after Taecheong-Rang is killed." Han Woo-Ju grinned. "Mr. Jung, you already had a plan, didn't you?" "Oh, no. It just came to me, really." In times , it was best to deny it as writers' pride was at stake. However, Han Woo-Ju was open-minded and accepted the idea. "Pfft. No, it's a solid idea." Then Lee Ji-Yeon added, "I'm on board too. But if we go that route, we'll have to include Deok-Bae in episodes 15 and 16 too, right, Writer Han? Kim Beop-Min should stay with Kim Chun-Chu until he leaves Chang'an. It wouldn't make sense otherwise," She continued, "Actually, I like it better this way. The original plan had Kim Chun-Chu injured, but his son studying abroad in Tang didn't even show up. That was always a bit odd." "I felt the same," Han Woo-Ju agreed. She didn't dismiss Lee Ji-Yeon's veteran insights. "Then let's do it. I can have the revised script ready in about thirty minutes... do we have a place to work?" Deok-Bae's extra screen time was locked in. Oh Bok-Hee pointed to a corner of the set. "We prepped a trailer as a temporary office since we knew you were coming. Please use it." Han Woo-Ju nodded. "Thank you. We'll start right away." Then Lee Ji-Yeon chuckled and asked, "Writer Han, seriously? Thirty minutes? You're not exactly known for writing that fast." Han Woo-Ju smiled. "I meant thirty minutes assuming you two are helping." "Wow, you're trying to put us to work, huh? Hahaha." "Hahaha, no, no. I'm kidding. Use us all you want. That's why we came, after all~" Han Woo-Ju was bold enough to use the legendary Lee Ji-Yeon as her assistant. At that moment, Oh Bok-Hee turned to the staff and shouted, "Eun-Dong, set up the writers' workspace. Everyone else, move to the Tang Dynasty Chang'an set for a reshoot of episode 14. Directing team, prep the actors playing Kim Chun-Chu and the Hwarang. Miss Yoo-Jin, you too." The set was thrown into chaos again for the reshoot of episode 14. As she gave her final instructions, Oh Bok-Hee turned to me. "And Mr. Jung, get ready with Deok-Bae." I bowed and ran to Deok-Bae with the youngest member of the directing team. I needed to get into makeup and costume too. To stand in as Taecheong-Rang, I had to wear quite an uncomfortable outfit and go through a lot of preparation. But if it was for Deok-Bae, this much was nothing. Next to the Gyeongju Moon Palace set, they had built an interior set for Chang'an, the capital of Tang. Given that over a million people lived in Chang'an during that era, most of it was handled with CGI. Only the key areas were physically constructed: the imperial court, the envoy lodgings, the market alley, and the arched bridge at the far end of the set street. Today's assassination would take place at that arched bridge adjoining the Chang'an market set. Beneath the arched bridge ran a stream about 10 meters wide. Shortly after, with just thirty minutes of prep, the staff had the set ready. The actors on site were all waiting, prepped for the episode 14 reshoot, and were waiting for the revised script. Deok-Bae and I, both in full makeup, were standing by for the shoot. I had the ring-hilted sword strapped to my left side, holding Taecheong-Rang's blue mask in my left hand. Deok-Bae, too, wielded a Silla-style ring-hilted sword, fitting his role as a Silla student. But now that his first appearance had been suddenly decided, Deok-Bae looked a little nervous. I gave him a wide grin. "Don't be nervous, Deok-Bae. In showbiz, this kind of thing happens all the time. Just think of it as getting your episode 20 attention early." In this industry, we constantly faced the unexpected. When that happened, we had to move fast. 'If you don't spread your wings now when the wind is blowing in your favor, who knows when you'll get another chance?' In Deok-Bae's tightly clenched hands, I could see the determination to succeed. If he made it, he could take better care of his younger brother Han-Ul and the seniors in the shantytown. Just then, the container being used as the writers' temporary office opened. In just thirty minutes, they looked exhausted. "Here... the revised script is done," Han Woo-Ju handed out several printed copies. However, the revised episode 14 script was different from what we had discussed. The ambush by assassins as Kim Chun-Chu crossed the bridge was the same as we had planned, and Taecheong-Rang dying in the chaos was still there. But there were unexpected twists. -Taecheong-Rang was actually a traitor who colluded with Baekje. -He didn't even join the fight between the assassins and Chun-Chu's guards. -Instead, he killed the last surviving guard and pointed his sword at Chun-Chu. -Then, Kim Beop-Min arrived alone, fought Taecheong-Rang, and killed him as a traitor. Han Woo-Ju had rewritten the character played by Han Sun-Myung into the most despicable figure possible. Noticing my surprise, Han Woo-Ju gave a bright smile. "I figured, why not go out with a bang? The other writers agreed with me." 'Ms. Han, isn't that smile a bit too cheerful for someone writing a death scene?' Kim Soll-Ip smiled and added her agreement. "We thought viewers would love it. After all, how satisfying would it be to see someone like Han Sun-Myung, who caused such a stir, die as a hypocritical traitor?" 'Well...If it's for Deok-Bae and Writer Han Woo-Ju... this much is nothing.' I shrugged. "Well, whether I die by this sword or that sword, doesn't make a difference. I'm just the stand-in... I'll make it look real." The writers smiled, pleased. Just then, Martial Arts Director Ahn Seok-Chil approached. "Alright, Deok-Bae and Chief Jung. Let's start with rehearsal." Having read the new script, Ahn Seok-Chil came over to run through the choreography. Deok-Bae and I took our positions in front of him. "Before we rehearse, grab your swords and glare at each other first." Knowing how deeply Deok-Bae immersed himself in roles, I was about to tell him to take it easy. Just then, visibly tense from his first scene, Deok-Bae clenched his jaw and began staring at me. His eyes gleamed and a chilling aura radiated from him. Unconsciously diving into his role, Deok-Bae looked at me as if I were his mortal enemy. This was just rehearsal, yet my knees were trembling. 'Am I... going to be okay?'