'He wants a proper look, does he? It is interesting, though.'
Interest rose in Writer Jeong's eyes at the monitor too.
'He wants to be compared properly against Han Gi-seong? Because a half-made comparison is hard to win?'
Force came into PD Park's eyes as well.
The man who had brought Han Gi-seong in was Writer Jeong, sitting right here.
In drama casting, the writer's power is absolute.
The scales were plainly tilted already, so the intention was clear: judge me objectively, on the same lines.
'Huh...... was Eun Tae-il always this bold?'
Whether or not he knew the curiosity rising in PD Park's eyes, a twisted smile went round Tae-il's mouth.
"It's the Han River because you could dump one of you in it and it wouldn't blink."
With a look that despised without overplaying it, Tae-il looked down.
'......'
Han Gi-seong, who had started out watching Tae-il with a sneer, moved his eyes too.
Writer Jeong's body leaned further and further toward the monitor.
'Is that Hyeong-ik? No, that's Eun Tae-il? Ah, I'm getting them confused......'
PD Park had a hard time keeping the laugh in.
Looking at the twist in Writer Jeong's face, he thought he knew what the man was thinking.
'He did say he'd taken the model for Hyeong-ik from Eun Tae-il.'
Eun Tae-il was showing him more than he had hoped for.
Tae-il was about to carry on to the next line when Writer Jeong raised a hand.
"That's enough here. Could you do scene 37? A reading is fine."
The script was already in his head.
Tae-il cleared his throat, pulled a chair in and sat, and glared at PD Park from a slant.
"Detective Yun, was it? Have you eaten?"
"Starved. Catching hit-and-run men like you."
Matching PD Park's line, a sour smile came to Tae-il's mouth.
"Oh dear, what a shame. You should look after your meals. Tsk, tsk...... and did you remember to bring a warrant, since you're taking me in?"
"Of course there's no such thing."
Tae-il stood and forced a smile.
"Our guest is leaving. See him out niiicely."
PD Park fed him the next line diligently too.
"I will have you. I will......!"
"Yes, yes. Do as you like. And do bring a warrant."
PD Park turned his eyes to Writer Jeong.
'You didn't make Han Gi-seong go this far.'
'I want to see a little more...... before I judge.'
Choosing Eun Tae-il meant letting go of Han Gi-seong, the actor he had brought in himself.
He had meant to watch one or two pieces of Eun Tae-il's acting and settle on Han Gi-seong at once, but......
It was proving hard to take his eyes off Eun Tae-il's acting.
"Tae-il. Let's do the next scene."
Staring at the monitor, Writer Jeong let out a short breath.
It was the scene where Detective Yun leaves and Hyeong-ik takes it out on the frightened, shaking secretary.
"Hey. How long have you worked here?"
"A-a week. M-Managing Director."
"A week......"
Tae-il smiled with his eyes and raised a hand and brought it down through the air.
With the gesture of a slap, his mouth trembled faintly.
'He lets the temper out.'
After the show of striking a cheek, Tae-il let his arm shake thinly.
As though he were shaking with rage.
"You f*cking bastard......! Can't you clear away something like that properly?"
"I-I'm sorry......!"
"Do I have to look at a thing like that? Hey! Get this bastard out of here."
Working his mouth with the face of a man looking at an insect, Tae-il dropped into the chair.
It was the end of a short scene.
"That's all."
When Tae-il stood again and bowed his head, PD Park came back to himself.
Acting like a genuine lunatic.
'......This isn't enough.'
Watching from behind, Han Gi-seong shook his head.
He was different from the rumors, but he did not seem to be a threat to the part itself.
PD Park said:
"Tae-il. Well done."
Tae-il looked at the two of them behind the camera.
In the eyes fixed on him, surprised, there was an air of something like regret coming through.
'Time to play the deciding move.'
Tae-il met Writer Jeong's eyes.
"If it's all right, may I show you one more thing?"
"You have more to show?"
"Yes. Episode 2, scene 68."
The scene where the lead, Detective Yun, breaks through every obstruction and puts the cuffs on Hyeong-ik.
It was the highlight of episode 2 and an important scene connecting into episode 3.
Writer Jeong thought for a moment and gave a small nod.
It was a far cry from the reaction he had started with, when he found Tae-il unappealing.
'......'
Even Han Gi-seong, who had not been paying much attention, moved carefully toward the judges.
Writer Jeong made room in front for Han Gi-seong out of consideration.
Because of it, Tae-il was going to act in front of three people, not two.
"Gi-seong, read for him."
PD Park handed the script over, and Han Gi-seong put feeling into it and started reading.
"There! Here's that warrant you love."
At Han Gi-seong's reading, the confident face on Tae-il twisted viciously.
"S-stop him! Now!"
Backing away, Tae-il turned his body and mimed running.
Then, caught immediately by the waiting police, he carried the lines on with venom breaking out of him.
"Let go! You sons of b*tches! Do you know who I am?!"
Writer Jeong took Tae-il's wretchedly twisted expression in close-up.
'......'
'Good-looking ones usually fuss over their faces. He's got no reverse gear, has he?'
'He'll need to do this well during the production too.'
The handsome face crumpled into something ugly, and Tae-il paid it no attention.
"Hit-and-run offender Hyeong-ik. You have the right to remain silent, and......"
"Aaargh! Do you think my dad is going to let this stand?!"
"Anything you say will be used against you in court, so beg that fine father of yours and get yourself a good lawyer, yes?"
Watching Tae-il thrash about with pathetic desperation and venom mixed together, Writer Jeong ran a hand roughly through his hair.
The last of the acting finished, and Writer Jeong looked at the two men and let out a sigh.
"Both of you, well done."
Out of consideration for PD Park's standing, he had meant to watch a few pieces of Eun Tae-il's acting and settle on Han Gi-seong at once.
But the acting had been beyond expectation, and it had become hard to find his footing.
"Tae-il. Calling for your dad at the end isn't in the lines. Why did you put it in?"
At Writer Jeong's question, Tae-il's eyes lit.
"I wanted to show Hyeong-ik's pathetic side right to the last."
"Why?"
"I thought the character Hyeong-ik was a child in a grown man's body. Somebody who can't do anything without his father......"
Writer Jeong's eyes went to Han Gi-seong.
But Han Gi-seong could not meet Writer Jeong's eyes and looked away.
'Han Gi-seong doesn't seem to have prepared to that level.'
The last weight came down.
PD Park nodded slowly too, as though he knew the decision.
Writer Jeong let out a short breath and turned his eyes to Han Gi-seong.
"Tae-il, well done. Gi-seong, shall we talk for a moment?"
Writer Jeong went out with a Han Gi-seong whose face was not good.
When only the two of them were left, PD Park came over to Tae-il.
"Tae-il. Good work."
"Not at all. Thank you for your work."
He had not, in fact, imagined that he would be auditioning alongside Han Gi-seong.
"Take this character, Tae-il."
"And Writer Jeong......"
"He brought Han Gi-seong in himself, so shouldn't I buy him a drink at least? Well...... once your production finishes, the schedule on this side will come out too."
PD Park put a hand out to Tae-il.
"So I get to work with you again, Tae-il. This time...... I can trust you, can't I?"
"Blessed are those who believe."
"Oh ho."
Tae-il took PD Park's hand.
It was the moment his casting was confirmed for his second production since becoming Eun Tae-il, Hot-Blooded Cops.
***
"How did you bring Eun Tae-il to life like this? They say this was your idea, PD Choi?"
CP Seong wanted to kiss PD Choi on the cheek.
The Eun Tae-il footage PD Choi had shot had drawn a particularly good reaction.
"No, senior. Tae-il came at it with so much will of his own."
"Tsk...... take a little for yourself sometimes, PD Choi. Eun Tae-il is a boy who'll look after himself. Anyway......"
When CP Seong shrugged, PD Choi asked, worried.
"Is something the matter?"
"Nothing big. From next week your work is going to grow, PD Choi."
"My work is growing?"
PD Choi was puzzled, and CP Seong shook his head.
"Our main event is the flower boys. And nobody's talking about anything but Eun Tae-il, so the actors have got their horns up."
"Ah, that's......"
"Lee Hui-seong and a few of the others want your team to shoot them, PD Choi."
"Senior. That's...... I'm sorry. Because of me......"
In plain words, it meant cutting CP Seong's shooting team and having his junior PD Choi's team shoot instead.
From a senior's position it was the sort of thing that could easily give offence, and no such colour showed on CP Seong's face.
"What are you sorry for? You did the work well."
"Senior......"
"For a while, take the actors with their horns up and Eun Tae-il along with them. I'll take the leads."
At CP Seong's words, PD Choi nodded without speaking.
***
Before dawn, the crew buses lined up one after another in front of Yeouido Station.
[Welcome to Flower Boy House]
In front of the bus with the placard on it, crew members gathered in threes and fours, smoking.
Perhaps it was the smooth sailing of the episode 1 and 2 ratings; their faces were quite bright.
"Come on, is he going to come today as well?"
"I'm betting he comes. A cigarette on it?"
"You're on. He's about due to run out of steam."
The crew's laughter was spreading out when a man's voice came from behind.
"Good morning."
The crew turned round and flinched.
Because it was none other than Eun Tae-il.
"Ah...... Eun Tae-il?"
"Wasn't your shoot from the afternoon today?"
"Tae-il! Here, here, want one?"
Some of them looked disappointed and some of them welcomed him too warmly; it was strange.
"I'm fine. I'll go and sit down first, then."
Tae-il shrugged and got onto the bus.
Watching him disappear ahead of them, the crew member who had won the bet smiled to himself.
"Right. Hand them over."
Around the time the bus pulled out, a crew member who had got on handed Tae-il a drink.
"Thank you. But what is this for......"
"I won, thanks to you."
The crew member who had handed over the drink looked at the cigarettes filling his pocket and smiled.
'They must have had a bet on.'
Tae-il only shrugged.
The first location was a set in Ilsan.
While the other actors shot, Tae-il waited quietly for his turn, reading his script.
Around the time lunch was approaching, PD Choi came over.
"Tae-il. Haa...... I'm sorry, but I think we'll have to push your shooting time back."
"What's happened?"
"Actually...... the café we were going to shoot at cancelled suddenly. Just wait a little. I'll be in touch soon."
PD Choi's face was quite flushed.
A location falling through at the last minute happens now and then, and it puts the production team on emergency footing.
"Understood."
"I'm sorry."
But lunchtime passed and it got to around four o'clock, and no word came from PD Choi.
'Taking longer than I thought.'
By this point there should have been word......
He put the script down and was looking at his watch when a thick voice came from behind.
"Tae-il."
"Team Leader Ong. What brings you......"
Meeting a face he had not expected, Tae-il flinched slightly.
"We did agree to try each other out soon."
Team Leader Ong pointed at the car parked behind him.
"First, you stop riding the bus."
"So that's what it meant."
Watching from beside him and thinking it over.
Only then could Tae-il understand what Team Leader Ong had meant that day.
"Bill me for the petrol."
"It's fine. It's an investment. More to the point...... the location looks disordered."
Team Leader Ong smiled and looked around.
"It seems you'll have to show me some ability."
"Starting already, honestly."
Clearing his throat, Team Leader Ong walked over to PD Choi, who was busy working the phone.
Tae-il saw PD Choi's face come loose and turned his eyes back to his script.
'......'
But the mood of the actors watching PD Choi from a distance was strange.
'......Something's going on.'
The faces of a few of the actors in particular were visibly twisting.
Tae-il put the script down and headed that way.