Chapter 661. Tightening (1)
“What the hell?! Why the f*ck did that stupid bastard have to disappear on us now?!” Zhang Xiang roared in unbridled anger.
The assistant director nervously fidgeted on the sidelines.
'Gimme a freaking break!'
Even the blind could see that the director, Zhang Xiang, was enraged beyond description. His deeply flushed face and all the veins popping up in his hand clutching the script were enough to send shivers of dread down the assistant director's spine.
They were facing an unprecedented crisis. Shooting a TV show or a movie was always accompanied by the threats of variables. The creation of a perfect scene necessitated the production team to prevent and control all potential variables, but nothing in life was absolute. There were always some variables that could not be controlled no matter what anyone tried.
For instance, the production would prepare for a shoot under the bright sun... only for the weather to turn for the worse and rain the whole day. Or, the actors would come down with stomach bugs and mess up the filming schedule. Such things happened with unfortunate regularity in a film shoot.
Zhang Xiang was forged in the furnace of such film shoots, so one unexpected event shouldn't be enough to piss him off to this extent. But he certainly was failing to keep his boiling rage down right now!
'Well, I don't blame him.'
The assistant director sighed under his breath. How could he not sympathize with his boss when the lead actor had cut off all contact for the last twenty-four hours and seemingly disappeared from the face of Earth?
A historical drama comparatively had fewer scenes featuring the main leads than most other TV shows. That still didn't mean the production could continue chugging along for the next few days while the lead actor was missing, though!
The production spent the entirety of yesterday filming Choi Yeon-Ha's scene, so they didn't have to worry about this problem. But Liu Wei's presence was absolutely necessary for today's scenes. However, that man couldn't be reached for some unfathomable reason!
Zhang Xiang sharply glared at the assistant director. “Did you phone him again?!”
“Yes, Director. But he's still not answering.”
“Dammit! What about Liu Wei's manager? What did he say?”
“...He said Liu Wei seemed out of his mind.”
“What? Those f*cking sons of b*tches!” Zhang Xiang finally threw the script to the ground in anger and disgust. “Are they f*cking kidding me?! Do they want to f*ck this production up? Is that it?!”
“D-director! W-we are doing our best searching for him everywhere.”
“You are searching for him?!” Zhang Xiang glared at the assistant director, his expression filling up with even more rage. “Listen here, you dipsh*t! We can't shoot a damn thing because our actor is bloody missing! But what were you saying? You're looking for him!?”
“My apologies, Director...” The assistant director deeply bowed his head, his expression cramped and sorrowful. 'What do you expect me to do here?'
How was he supposed to find an actor who decided to go into hiding? Even the manager and the talent agency, that actor's official nannies, couldn't find him yet. In that case, what could an assistant director do to change this situation? Basically nothing, that's what!
Although this treatment was deeply unfair, the assistant director didn't have the necessary courage to complain. Getting into an argument with Zhang Xiang when he was this pissed off was akin to strapping a jar of oil and jumping into an inferno!
“We're pressuring Liu Wei's talent agency as much as we can.”
“Yes, keep pressuring them! Goddamn it! If this whole production goes down the drain...! I'm going to make sure those f*ckers can never set up shop in this industry ever again! You better tell them real good, got that? Tell them I'm gonna do whatever it takes to kick them out of this industry if they can't find that useless bastard right now! You hear me?!”
“Yes, Director!” The assistant director nodded, then tried to rush outside the film set.
However, Zhang Xiang yelled at him first. “Use your bloody phone, you idiot! Your phone! If you also lose your sh*t here, who's going to act as the anchor for everyone?! And who's going to report back to me!”
“M-my apologies...”
“Dammit! Every one of you is goddamn useless!” Zhang Xiang angrily sat on a chair and mouthed a cigarette. Once the unhealthy smoke filled his lungs, his boiling head regained some of its previous calmness. 'Liu Wei, that bastard! You dare make fun of me?'
The more Zhang Xiang thought about this situation, the angrier he got. Just who was he? Even if his worldwide renown and status were removed from the equation... Wasn't he still the director in charge of a film shoot? The absolute ruler of this small world?
So, how dare a mere actor flip him the middle finger by going into hiding! Such a thing could not be allowed to happen!
This was why Zhang Xiang didn't want to cast Liu Wei in the first place. His instincts had already foreseen this catastrophe when he was forced to accept that bastard with zero acting talent simply because he was moderately popular!
'In that case, why don't I just...!'
Zhang Xiang angrily puffed away at his cigarette.
'No, wait. That won't work.'
Replacing Liu Wei with another actor at this late stage was unfeasible. They had already shot around two-thirds of the material, after all. Post-production work still remained, so technically they were only halfway done, but as far as actual filming was concerned? They should be wrapping that up in around two months.
But to change the lead actor at this stage and reshoot all of his scenes? That would be unthinkable.
The time constraints weren't the only problem preventing Zhang Xiang from making that decision. There was also the ballooning budget to consider. He didn't have enough headroom in the production budget since Zhang Xiang had spared no expense in his pursuit of one of the greatest TV shows ever created.
Besides, reshooting the scenes involving the main lead wouldn't resolve this problem, anyway. Other scenes were shot with the atmosphere oozed by the main character in mind. If the lead actor were to be replaced now, those scenes would most likely not flow as well as before.
Worst still, those damn investors would froth at their mouths and charge straight at Zhang Xiang at the mere mention of replacing Liu Wei. Those money-hungry bastards, who would rise from their graves at the mere mention of 'new investment opportunities', wouldn't want to take on the additional risk.
“Goddamn it!” Zhang Xiang cursed again while puffing angrily away at his cigarette.
He should've prevented Liu Wei's casting as the male lead from the get-go. Of course, regretting his decision now wouldn't help anyone.
'I better wrap this damn thing up as soon as possible and leave this place!'
If only it hadn't been for the direct order from the CCP! Zhang Xiang wouldn't even have bothered with shooting a measly little TV show. Even if he was a ballsy man, Zhang Xiang wasn't brave enough to go against the Party's command.
In that case, he could've done a halfhearted job and walked away, but his damn perfectionist personality didn't permit it. Even if this show was ultimately nothing more than just a glorified advertisement for the Party, it'd still be recorded in Zhang Xiang's filmography. Knowing that, he didn't want to do a sloppy job and leave a black mark on his career.
“Excuse me, Director...?”
Zhang Xiang scowled deeply and turned his head to look. He could already predict what the fidgety assistant director would say from that faltering voice.
“The talent agency says that... They are trying their best to find Liu Wei. However, he's still unreachable...”
“Those stinking sons of b*tches...!” Zhang Xiang angrily tore the cigarette apart.
He wouldn't be this angry if he was told Liu Wei could potentially return in a week or so. However, that wasn't what they were telling him, now was it? Did they seriously expect Zhang Xiang to sit on his arse and wait forever for the lead actor to show up?! When no one knew where that bastard even was?!
“Director?” The assistant director cautiously piped up.
“What now?!”
“What should we do about today's filming?”
“Bloody hell...!” Zhang Xiang groaned under his breath.
Getting angry was one thing, but filming was something else. He should hand in his director's guild membership if the first sign of trouble was enough to make him quit. One of the qualifications of a good director was to flexibly respond to any and all unexpected situations, wasn't it?
But Zhang Xiang's problem here was...
“Director, should we... call Choi Yeon-Ha?”
“What did you say, you dipsh*t?!” Zhang Xiang finally lost his cool. “I told her to take two days off with my own damn mouth yesterday! Yet you want me to rescind that in less than one day?! Why don't you dump me in a pit of sh*t instead! Just how much humiliation do you need to put me through before you're satisfied?!”
“B-but, Director... I don't think there is another way out of this situation.”
“Urgh...!” Zhang Xiang angrily rubbed his face. After several dry-washing attempts on his poor face, he spat out a groan loud enough to cause an earthquake. 'Dammit!'
The assistant director was right about one thing. In order to resume filming, either Choi Yeon-Ha or Liu Wei needed to be on set. That was non-negotiable. The filming of scenes featuring both actors could be delayed to later dates. However, most other scenes featured one of the two main leads in some capacity. In that case, what would happen if the production had to halt filming for today?
'It'll be a catastrophe, that's what!'
Zhang Xiang grimaced deeply. Considering the fees to rent the location and equipment, plus all these extras... Just one day of filming lost equaled an inordinate amount of money going up in smoke. Zhang Xiang couldn't sit by and watch that happen.
The production wouldn't go to the dogs immediately even if that money went down the drain. However, repeats of such things would eventually affect the quality of the end product. The budget meant for other parts of the production would be spent covering up for the loss, after all!
Zhang Xiang could never let that happen under his watch. He glanced at the assistant director. “Phone Choi Yeon-Ha. I want to talk to her.”
“Sorry?”
“Don't make me repeat myself, okay! Call Choi Yeon-Ha! Can't you hear me?”
“I, I'll call her right away!” The assistant director hurriedly pulled out his phone and dialed the number while wiping his cold sweat. Once the call went through, he carefully offered the phone to Zhang Xiang.
Zhang Xiang cocked an eyebrow. “Is it Choi Yeon-Ha?”
“No, Director. It's her manager.”
“You stupid son of a...!”
When Zhang Xiang murderously glared at him, the assistant director freaked out and hurriedly retrieved the phone. He urgently explained something in a hushed voice to Choi Yeon-Ha's manager and waited a bit. A short while later, the assistant director offered his phone to Zhang Xiang again. “Director, it's Choi Yeon-Ha on the phone.”
“Give it to me, then!”
After receiving the phone, Zhang Xiang sucked in several deep breaths. A man going back on his word would always be deeply embarrassing to him. Especially when that man was as prideful as Zhang Xiang was!
“Miss Choi Yeon-Ha? It's Zhang Xiang here.”
—Hello, Director. Did something happen?
“How are you? Are you resting well?”
—Yes, I am. Thank you for your consideration.
“Good. That's, uh, great to hear...” Zhang Xiang sneakily blurred the end of his sentence. Another groan wanted to escape from his mouth. It felt like he had been demoted to a pathetic loser who couldn't even keep his word. However, the filming schedule was more important than keeping his pride.
'Goddamn it! And it's been only a day! A day!'
If only he hadn't bullied Choi Yeon-Ha yesterday! This phone call would've been ten times less painful for Zhang Xiang. After doing that nasty thing to her, he now had to politely ask her for her favor? What kind of nonsense was this?
'Liu Wei, you stinking son of a b*tch!' Zhang Xiang's anger toward Liu Wei was rekindled again. Still, the veteran director composed himself and spoke calmly to the phone's receiver. “Actually, we've run into a problem.”
—Problem? What kind?
“Well, that is...” Zhang Xiang licked his dried lips several times. It felt like his lips were about to crack apart. He could already imagine all the mockery and criticism about to hit him in the ear through the phone's speaker.
Unfortunately, a human being couldn't dodge the falling rain.
“Liu Wei has disappeared on us, you see? And that has completely messed up the filming schedule. That was why I was wondering... I'm really sorry about walking back on what I said yesterday, but... Do you mind coming to the set now? I'm really sorry about this, Miss Choi. If you do this for me, I promise your next vacation will be extended to make up for the lost time.”
Zhang Xiang finally said it. However, the other party hadn't given her reply yet.
Not just Zhang Xiang, but the assistant director was also waiting with bated breaths.
'Dammit. The wait's killing me!'
They didn't have a way to force Choi Yeon-Ha if her answer was an emphatic no. One of the quirks of being an actress was that one would need a lot of preparation beforehand. Therefore, most actresses would express their dismay and unwillingness when hit with the sudden summons to resume filming like this.
Since they were dealing with someone as uniquely fussy as Choi Yeon-Ha, her response should be even worse. Zhang Xiang only phoned her in sheer desperation of a man clutching at straws. Even then, he didn't think Choi Yeon-Ha would humor his request today.
She'd probably say today would be difficult, that she'd only be available tomorrow. All the while adding her apologies to the mix, too.
That was when Zhang Xiang was greeted by an unexpected reply.
—Give me one hour.
“What was that?”
—If I set off now, I will still need around one hour to reach the filming location. I'll try to put on some makeup while on the way, so have the crew ready to start rolling immediately, Director. I'm assuming it's a scene that must be filmed before sunset, yes?
“Yes, that's right. We do have interior scenes, but those can be filmed in the evening. But the exterior scenes...”
—Then, I'll be right there.
“Will that be fine with you, Miss Choi?”
—Well, I don't have a choice in this situation, now do I? Besides, it's not your fault, Director.
A soft little sigh leaked out of Zhang Xiang's lips. Of course Liu Wei's absence wasn't his fault. However, just how many people in this production understood that? “Even if you say that... Well... It feels like I'm walking back on my promise, you see?”
—Director. Please remember that I'm an actor. This production doesn't belong only to you. I also play a part in its potential success. You wish for this show to succeed, and that's the same for me. In that case, we all should put in our maximum effort. That's what professionals do.
“...Yes, that's right.”
—I'll be on my way, so get the crew ready, Director. Give me one hour... No, Let's get my makeup done on set. Since I have one of the world's best drivers with me, I might only need thirty minutes to get there.
“I-I see. We'll wait for you, then.”
That was where the line went dead. Zhang Xiang wordlessly stared at the disconnected phone before glancing at his assistant director. “Hey, man.”
“Yes, Director?”
“Can you cover the distance between here and Choi Yeon-Ha's hotel in half an hour?”
“No, unless you hire a helicopter, Director.”
“I see. Then... Why did she sound confident on the phone?” Zhang Xiang muttered in confusion, his head tilting slightly.
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